


Mapleshade's Redemption

by SyverneSien



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Mapleshade, Breaking the Warrior Code (Warriors), Bullying, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Character Death Fix, Child Death, Childbirth, Dark Forest (Warriors), Denial of Feelings, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Fix-It of Sorts, Friends to Lovers, I Ship It, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Cheating, LGBTQ Cats (Warriors), Multi, Near Death Experiences, Not Canon Compliant, One True Pairing, Original Character(s), Original Clans (Warriors), Past Character Death, Post-Canon Fix-It, Second Chances, Slow To Update, StarClan (Warriors), Story: Mapleshade's Vengeance, Survivor Guilt, The Forest Territories (Warriors), ThunderClan (Warriors), Visions, WindClan (Warriors)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:22:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 42,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22684663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SyverneSien/pseuds/SyverneSien
Summary: "That’s maybe who you were, but that’s not who you are now. I’ve known you for two moons now and I’ll admit I’m a little scared of you, but you haven’t done anything to hurt me. You listened to my advice and didn’t hurt yourself or the Twolegs, either,” he placed one paw on her chest, where her heart would be. “You were hurting and didn’t know what you were doing. You did some bad things, but… you can change, Mapleshade. You’re already changing.” In Myler’s gaze and her chest sparked something that Mapleshade hadn’t felt in a long while - hope for a better future.Mapleshade survives Mapleshade's Vengeance and finds a new home on Myler's farm, learning how to live as a barn cat. Haunted by what she's done and terrified by StarClan's warnings of eternal suffering, Mapleshade struggles with trying to adjust to 'regular' life. As anger threatens to overcome her again, she leans on Myler for support, discovering that there's much more to the barn cat than just a soft kittypet. A new friendship with WindClan brings new opportunities, and Mapleshade finds the ability to forge a new path for herself alongside new cats, in new places, and just maybe... with new love.
Relationships: Appledusk (Warriors)/Reedshine (Warriors - Mapleshade's Vengeance), Mapleshade/Myler (Warriors), Past Appledusk/Mapleshade (Warriors)
Comments: 108
Kudos: 174





	1. Chapter 1

_Leave me alone. I don’t need anyone._ Mapleshade’s words rang in her ears, over and over again. She gnashed her teeth, fighting against blinding pain from her neck and shoulder. She would not die here.

_I think you are wrong._ Myler, the kind barn cat. He had wanted so desperately to help her, even despite what she’d done. But now she was beyond help. She couldn’t help herself anymore, not so gravely injured. She could either die in this Twoleg building, cold and alone, or she could ask for help for the first time since the death of her beloved kits.

Mapleshade made her decision.

“Myler,” she croaked, blinking away the darkness of unconsciousness from her vision. Her voice was low and desperate, and in an instant, the black-and-white kittypet appeared by her side. She notices blood seeping onto his paws, staining the fur red, and thinks vaguely, _is that mine?_

“Are you going to let me help you?” Myler demanded, but in a more worried and concerned tone than an angry one. When she nodded blankly, he touched her shoulder gently and peered at her wound. “You’ve lost a lot of blood and it won’t stop,” he murmured. “I’m going to get the Twolegs. They can take you to the vet. It’s your only chance, I think. I’ve never seen a wound this bad.” Myler shook his head, stepping back. “Please, stay here and stay alive. Don’t try to move, I don’t want it tearing open further. Just concentrate on breathing and I’ll be back soon.”

“Twolegs?” Mapleshade coughed and could feel more blood spilling out onto the ground. “I’d rather- I’d rather die than be taken care of by _Twolegs,”_ she hissed. But inside, in the centre of her cold, stone heart with three holes where her kits used to be, buried underneath layers of fierce independence, painful grief, crushing remorse and guilt, and pure Clan pride, she knew Myler was right. Mapleshade made no effort to move, simply laying limply in the nest that Myler had put her in.

Myler’s gaze was determined and sharp with worry. “I’ll be as fast as I can,” he promised, and with a thundering of pawsteps, he vanished into the darkness. Mapleshade could hear his claws scrabbling on something and intently listened as the sounds of the kittypet receded until she could hear them no more.

Mapleshade’s fur was sticky with blood, only most of it her own. Suddenly, alone with her thoughts and finally musing over her actions, she felt a pang of grief for Appledusk. Even though she hated him, even though he condemned her… she was sad that he was dead. _Why?_

_Stay alive._ Myler’s voice came back to her. A desperate wave of determination flooded her senses. “I am Mapleshade,” she growled quietly. “I am a Clanborn warrior of ThunderClan, mate to no cat, mother to Larchkit, Patchkit, and Petalkit. I have survived countless battles and killed three cats in revenge for my kits’ deaths. I dared to take a mate from outside my Clan. I have defied death before, and I _will_ do it again.” Unconsciousness threatened to take her but, envisioning it as simply another enemy to fight, she clawed it away in her mind, hissing and spitting at Death. “I am Mapleshade!” she roared again, though she couldn’t tell whether it was in the real world or her mind. “I am a warrior of ThunderClan and _you shall not have me.”_ In her mind, Mapleshade leapt forward onto Death, who appeared to her as a black cat with eerie blind eyes, her claws as sharp as they were on the day she left ThunderClan. “I am Mapleshade, and I will _live!”_

Mapleshade struggled against Death and prevailed, tearing into Death’s fur with her claws and teeth. Death did not bleed, but it seemed to her that Death did feel some sort of pain or weakness when she attacked. At the sound of heavy steps outside, which she assumed belonged to the Twolegs Myler had gone to fetch, Mapleshade put on a final burst of energy, barrelling forward and sinking her teeth deep into Death’s neck. Stunned, she stepped back as Death disappeared into nothingness and a voice wrapped around her ears.

“Mama!” and suddenly her kits were standing there, fur shining bright and speckled with stars as the darkness of her mind shifted to light. “You’re going to live!” Larchkit declared happily.

“I love you,” Mapleshade’s voice cracked and she fell to the ground, tears seeping easily from her eyes. “I love all of you,” she breathed, “more than you could ever imagine.”

“We know,” Petalkit murmured, stepping forward to touch her muzzle to Mapleshade’s. “You did the wrong thing, killing those cats. We thought for sure that the Dark Forest would take you,” Petalkit glanced back at her brothers. “But you can change now. You still have time.”

“They… they had to die, didn’t they? You’re dead because of them!” Mapleshade spat, her anger coming back in a wave of fresh, burning fury. But it seeped away quickly, ebbing back into grief. “It was… the right thing. To take revenge.”

Patchkit spoke now. “No,” he shook his head. “You should have stayed with Myler the first time. There were only two futures for you, Mama. One lead to happiness without the Clans, the other to permanent suffering in the Dark Forest. You’ve created a third, and we don’t know what will happen now. Nobody in StarClan does.”

  
The forest lit up with starry figures and Mapleshade clambered to her paws, claws sliding out unbidden. She was fearful, scared of these spirits’ judgement. “StarClan?” she whispered, eyes wide.

“Relax, Mapleshade,” Ravenwing, the medicine cat of ThunderClan whom she had murdered at the Moonstone, stepped forward from their ranks. “We are not here to take you nor hurt you. We are here to simply warn you. Make the right choices from now on, or suffer for your actions when Death comes back for you.”

“The… right… choices?” Mapleshade mumbled, looking down at her paws. When she looked up again, determination coupled with awe flashed through her gaze. “I’ll try. I will try my hardest. One day, I swear, I will join the ranks of StarClan!” she promised, and her vision broke as huge hairless paws lifted her into the air. Still too weak to struggle, she let the Twolegs place her in some sort of enclosed nest, which she was promptly shut into by a strange silver thorn barrier.

Myler’s kind face appeared on the other side of the silver thorns. “Don’t worry, Mapleshade,” he whispered. “They’re going to help you. You’re going to get better,” Myler smiled at her and something twitched in Mapleshade’s chest. She hadn’t felt anything but grief since the death of her kits… and she welcomed this change.

“I know I will,” Mapleshade growled, but there was no hostility behind it. She didn’t think Myler heard, but she went on anyway. “I am Mapleshade, and Mapleshade fought Death and won.”


	2. Chapter 2

Mapleshade drifted in and out of consciousness multiple times before finally waking inside the enclosed nest the Twolegs had taken her away in. She tried to stand up but everything hurt, and something around her neck was preventing her from looking down at her wounds. Outside, she seemed to be in a Twoleg den, but it looked different from her foggy memories of what Myler had called the ‘vet’.

“You’re awake!” Myler’s face appeared on the other side of the silver barrier, his eyes glittering happily. “How do you feel? Also, what’s your name? I never caught it.” Myler seemed slightly embarrassed at this fact.

Mapleshade flexed her claws and shook out her fur, as much as she could inside the cage. “I’m alive,” she muttered. “My chest hurts. And my shoulder. But I’m fine,” she padded toward Myler, her tail brushing the walls. “My name is Mapleshade.”

Myler shivered. “Spooky,” he replied. “I’m glad I don’t have a scary name like that,” Myler glanced at her face.

“It’s not-” and then she caught his joking expression and faltered. “I mean, compared to ‘Myler’, I guess it is,” she mumbled half-heartedly.

“Want me to let you out, Mapleshade?” Myler offered, reaching for a small latch on the thorns. “You’re in the farmhouse, by the way. The Twolegs are out, so I managed to sneak in. I’m sure they won’t mind so long as you don’t try to leave.”

“Are you kidding?” Mapleshade’s fur bristled. “I’m not staying in this Twoleg den for any longer than I have to! Let me out of this nest and I’ll find the quickest way out,” she informed Myler, trying to lift her head in a dignified way but finding it difficult and painful.

“You’re still not recovered,” Myler mewed. “If you leave the house now, there’ll be more of a change of you tearing your wounds open again. You have to stay here until the Twolegs take the cone off.” Myler gestured to the weird thing around her neck.

Mapleshade wilted. “Fine. Just… let me out of this nest, will you?” Silently, she still planned to escape, but she figured she should do it when Myler wasn’t around. “Do you live with these Twolegs?”

Myler replied as he tugged at the latch. “No, I live in the barn where we met,” he said. “I catch rats and the Twolegs leave me alone, that’s how it works here. I haven’t been in the farmhouse since I got really sick a long while ago, maybe four seasons, and they kept me here to recover. That’s how I knew you’d be in here,” Myler smiled as the latch popped open. “There we go!”

Mapleshade murmured a disgruntled thanks as she stepped out of the cage, looking around at the huge Twoleg building. She was standing on some sort of stone surface, though it was much smoother than any stone she’d ever felt. It reminded her of Sunningrocks, and her thoughts drifted back to Appledusk, then Reedshine. Did Reedshine think she was dead? A growl rose in her throat. Stupid Reedshine, she wished that she’d killed her instead of…

“Mapleshade?” Myler’s voice was scared, and Mapleshade realized that her claws had slid out and that her tail was thrashing. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” she grumbled, letting her claws slide back in. She could deal with this. She would never see Reedshine ever again, so there was no sense getting worked up about her. But still… “Just thinking about the Clans.”

“You poor thing,” Myler touched her shoulder with his tail-tip and she flinched away, padding across the stone. “I can’t imagine living in the forest. And seeing what they did to you…”

Mapleshade didn’t want his sympathy. “I didn’t choose Clan life,” she hissed. “The forest was my home. I have no home now because of the cats I thought I could trust.” She flexed her paws but kept her claws in.

“You have a home in my barn, if you want it,” Myler offered, stepping toward her. “There’s plenty of room and food for two.”

Mapleshade was interrupted by the sound of Twolegs entering the ‘house’, as Myler called it, and her fur bristled. Myler dove toward another part of the den, shouting “I have to go!” as he did so.

There were two Twolegs and the female reached for Mapleshade, making a strange noise as she did so. Mapleshade darted away across the stone, hissing at the Twoleg molly. The Twoleg tom said something to the molly that made her stop reaching for Mapleshade, and the male set some sort of food down on the other end of the stone. It smelled good, but strange, and was wrapped in something tangy and silver.

The Twolegs watched her expectantly, but she didn’t trust them not to try to touch her again. Slowly, the Twolegs retreated out of the room, leaving her alone. Was it a trick? Mapleshade’s stomach rumbled from hunger. If Myler was here, she could ask him, but he was either hiding from the Twolegs or had left already. She should ask him how he got in and out.

Reluctantly, Mapleshade padded towards the food. She licked some of it up with her tongue, slightly awkwardly with the cone around her neck, and recoiled suddenly at the taste of fish. But it didn’t seem dangerous or disgusting, so she continued licking the food out of the weird Twoleg container. She sat back up and licked her whiskers, suddenly noticing that one of the Twolegs was peering at her from another area of the house. She growled at him and dashed back to the other end of the stone, sheltering under a Twoleg wood-thing.

Suddenly, she remembered the cone again. Maybe… even if she hated the thought, but maybe if she cosied up to the Twolegs they would take it off sooner. She wished Myler was still here; he knew far more about Twolegs than she did.

Tired due to all the excitement and the new environment, Mapleshade yawned. She flicked her tail and stepped out from under the wood-thing, eyeing the Twoleg suspiciously. Mapleshade then darted for the caged nest, slipping back inside and quickly curling up on the soft bedding. She wanted to rest, but she kept one eye open in case the Twolegs tried to close the thorns again. She hated this place - she was a warrior, not a kittypet! But she didn’t have anywhere else to go and just running up and down the stone had made her chest and shoulder ache.

Mapleshade flicked her tail over her nose and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Myler's a sweetheart and I love him. Super sad that he only showed up twice in MV and never again. That's part of the reason I'm writing this XD  
> Anyway, if you're enjoying the story please leave a comment! I'm also answering questions about my AU on my Instagram, therealtallstar!


	3. Chapter 3

Mapleshade spent the better part of a moon and a half in the farmhouse, eating kittypet food and reluctantly letting the Twolegs pet her, trying to gain their trust. Myler visited as much as he could, but the Twolegs didn’t go out very often. They’d discovered that during the day there was what Myler called a ‘window’ in the ‘kitchen’ (where Mapleshade had woken up the first time) that was often opened by the Twoleg molly, and that they could talk through the weird mesh that covered it. These strange words confused the former warrior and felt odd on her tongue, but she figured that she’d better get used to them.

Finally, the Twolegs took her back to the vet so that they could make sure she was fully healed, and when she returned to the farmhouse there was no longer a cone restricting her neck and head. Letting out an excited yowl, she dove for the kitchen window, skidding along the ‘counter’ and underneath the ‘cabinets’ to where Myler was waiting.

Myler’s eyes lit up when he saw her. “You’re all better!” he declared, his tail twitching happily. “You can come to live with me in the barn now!” underneath the tom’s happy demeanour, Mapleshade caught a glimpse of a cat that was lonely, desperate for some company in the huge, empty barn. She couldn’t leave him now, not after he’d waited for nearly two moons for her to recover.

“How do I get out of the farmhouse?” Mapleshade demanded, ignoring the weird coos and purrs from the Twolegs standing in the ‘door’ of the kitchen. They seemed oddly encouraging of her friendship with Myler. “I want to get out of here as soon as I can. I can’t believe I’ve been pretending to be a  _ kittypet! _ ”

Myler laughed. “Wait until the Twolegs open the front door, then slip out after them or under their legs,” he advised. “You have to be fast, or else you could get your tail shut in the door.” Myler glanced at Mapleshade’s large, bushy tail.

Mapleshade nodded. She’d done much more dangerous things as a ThunderClan warrior, but after living the soft life of a kittypet for what felt like an eternity, it shook fear down her spine. She pushed the feelings away, setting her jaw. Mapleshade would not be scared by a  _ door. _

“I’ll see you outside,” Mapleshade said briskly before turning and padding away across the counter. She didn’t want to wait any longer, she wanted to get out  _ now. _ Mapleshade leapt down onto the ‘floor’ and away towards the front door, ignoring the Twolegs looking at her curiously. She reached the door and unsheathed her claws, mewling loudly. Mapleshade scratched at the front door, hoping that it would bring the Twolegs over to find out what was going on.

Indeed, the male Twoleg walked over to the front door and said something to her, which she didn’t understand. Mapleshade yowled at him and scratched the door again. “Let me out, stupid Twoleg!” He reached for the handle and opened the door, making a strange noise with his mouth as he did so. She didn’t bother looking back, simply fleeing down the front steps of the farmhouse and into the bushes. The male Twoleg stood on the front porch, calling out for her, but she didn’t go back.

“Myler!” Mapleshade called, shaking leaves from her pelt. She couldn’t see the barn cat’s black-and-white pelt anywhere in the garden or the huge field behind the farmhouse.

“Mapleshade!” something bowled into her side, throwing her off-balance, and Mapleshade reacted instinctively, unsheathing her claws and hissing furiously.  _ Reedshine! Darkstar! Oakstar! Appledusk! Frecklewish! Perchpaw! _ her brain flashed names to her and she started to panic, worried that ThunderClan or RiverClan had found her- “It’s me, Mapleshade, stop!”

Mapleshade blinked, curling her claws back in before she accidentally slashed Myler’s whiskers off. “I thought you were somebody else,” Mapleshade muttered, slightly choked by memories of her Clan. “Don’t do that again.”

Myler’s eyes were wide. “I won’t, I’m sorry,” he said, then touched her shoulder with his nose. “Are you okay now?” Myler asked, tail swishing across the grass.

Mapleshade flinched, but let him touch her anyway. “I’m fine,” Mapleshade replied grimly. “Where’s the barn? We should get out of here.” She could see the red building on the other side of the field, but she wasn’t sure the best route to get there.

“Come on, I’ll show you the path,” Myler flicked his ears toward the field and started to tread away, setting a slow pace for Mapleshade to follow. Mapleshade padded after him, her amber gaze flitting back towards the farmhouse. She could see the Twolegs speaking to each other through the window, most likely worried about her. She suddenly wished she could tell them where she was going and that she was going to be okay, but she dismissed it as a silly fantasy. They were just Twolegs. She had no connection to them.

There was a dirt trail next to what Myler told her was a fence at the edge of the field, and Myler led her along it quickly. Mapleshade’s fur brushed the long yellow stalks of the plant growing in the field and she looked at it curiously. Was it some kind of herb? “What is this?” she asked Myler, blinking.

“Wheat,” Myler answered simply. “The Twolegs make food out of it,” he flicked his tail against some of the stalks, causing them to sway. Mapleshade eyed the wheat, wondering how Twolegs could make food out of a plant. Did they mix it with fresh-kill? Did Twolegs not eat fresh-kill?

Myler led Mapleshade down out of the field and into a ditch, then back up again on the other side, where the ground was once again grassy. The barn sat on this rise and Myler broke into a faster pace, hurrying toward the huge double doors. “We’re home!” he declared.

Mapleshade followed him inside, bushing out her fur cautiously. The barn was filled with bundles of yellow grass like the wheat, but it smelled different. She could scent mouse as well, more mouse than she’d ever scented before, and her mouth started to water. Myler dashed up onto a large pile, sitting down where it looked as if he had made a nest.

“You can make a nest anywhere in the hay, but I’d recommend higher up just to be safe,” Myler told her, laying his front paws down and crossing them. “I can show you all the best places to hunt, and the gutter on the roof where I get water, and the-”

Mapleshade yawned suddenly, cutting him off. She didn’t mean to be rude, she was simply a little tired from walking across the field.  _ What’s wrong with me? _ she thought.  _ I’m turning soft! _ “I’ll make a nest first and then you can show me the roof,” she decided, bunching her muscles and leaping up onto the haystack next to Myler’s. She nosed the hay around, trying to fit it into a good shape, and Myler appeared beside her with a mouthful of feathers.

“Here,” he murmured, setting them down at her paws. “There are always feathers laying around from the chickens - they blow all over the place.” Mapleshade nodded in thanks and set about using them to make her new nest softer.  _ I guess I’m staying, _ Mapleshade thought, looking around at the huge barn.  _ Life could be much worse. _

With a pang, she remembered her kits. She could have brought them here instead of to RiverClan and raised them with Myler, free from the bounds of the warrior code… she would have if she’d known - if she’d known about Appledusk and Reedshine, if she’d known that her kits wouldn’t make it across the river, if she’d known that a kind barn cat lived out here. Mapleshade suddenly realized that she’d stopped thinking about Myler as a kittypet -  _ and rightfully so, _ she thought.  _ He catches his food and survives by his own accord, not because Twolegs help him! _

“If you’re all set, I can show you where I get water,” Myler mewed, his voice drifting down from above her. Mapleshade looked up and realized that he was standing on square logs that crisscrossed above her head, supporting the roof. She quickly traced the route in her mind and leapt up into the rafters herself, unsheathing her claws to make sure she had a good grip. She hadn’t climbed trees much in ThunderClan, but with a swell of pride, she thought about a WindClan or RiverClan cat attempting the ascent. Then her pride was tainted with sadness as she remembered that ThunderClan hated her and her blood. “Follow me!”

Myler twitched his tail and set off through the rafters. Mapleshade hurried after but kept behind with caution. Soon she spotted a hole in the roof that Myler quickly slipped through, and she hoisted herself after him. The roof was on a harsh angle but she was able to hold on, following after Myler toward where water was flowing along the edge of the roof. She momentarily felt impressed by the barn cat - he was skilled at climbing and keeping his balance - and wondered if Myler would make a good warrior.  _ No, _ she thought after a moment’s pause, standing beside the black-and-white tom. He was grinning at her.  _ He’s far too tender-hearted to shred another cat over something as foolish to him as land or prey. He doesn’t know the importance of these things. Perhaps a good medicine cat, though. _

Mapleshade shook her head clear. Myler wasn’t a Clan cat and neither was she, now. There was no sense fantasizing about a life back in ThunderClan with the barn tom as her Clanmate. Instead, she turned her attention back to him and the strange stream.

“This is a gutter,” Myler explained. “It catches the rainwater. Not sure why, but it’s great to drink from.” Proving his point, Myler leaned down and lapped from the gutter. After a moment’s hesitation, Mapleshade did the same, the taste of fresh, outdoor water refreshing after drinking Twoleg water for a moon.

Sitting back up, Mapleshade cast her amber gaze over the Clan territory that she could see from the roof. It was a surprising lot, she noticed, as she took in the WindClan moor and Fourtrees, which were the closest. She could also catch bits of RiverClan and ShadowClan territory to the right and left, though RiverClan’s territory was downhill and ShadowClan’s was slightly masked by the hills before Highstones. Then, with a pang, she saw ThunderClan’s forest on the other side of Fourtrees, downhill as well, but she knew it well enough to pick it out amongst the other Clans. It was just after sunhigh - would Beetail be organizing patrols? Would Nettlepaw be out in the sandy hollow, training with Deerdapple? Would Rabbitfur be moaning about his joints, or would he be sleeping after having to bury Frecklewish and Ravenwing after their vigils? Who had taken over the duties of medicine cat? When she closed her eyes, she could imagine the scents of her Clanmates - Seedpelt and Thrushtalon, Bloomheart and Oakstar, washing over her. Scents she hoped she’d never smell again.

“Do you wish you could go back?” Myler murmured, his black-and-white pelt brushing her tortoiseshell-and-white. He sat beside her, following her gaze to the ThunderClan forest. His tail-tip flicked up to touch her back and she didn’t flinch away.

“I…” Mapleshade hesitated. She wanted to go home, but she didn’t want to go back to the Clan she had left. “I don’t know, Myler,” she admitted. “Did I… I didn’t tell you why I was driven out, did I?” she’d been scared to tell him, scared she’d lose the only ally she had.

Myler shook his head. “You don’t have to tell me, Mapleshade,” he replied quickly. “It’s not important anymore.” She almost laughed. It was the most important thing in the world to her.

  
“I want to tell you,” Mapleshade breathed. “In the forest, in the Clans, we have a set of rules called the warrior code. One of these rules is that a cat may not take a mate from another Clan. I was a warrior of ThunderClan, and I fell in love with a tom from RiverClan named Appledusk,” she started, flattening her ears.

Myler nodded but stayed silent. She hurried on. “I kept it a secret, meeting him only at night when nobody was around. But during a battle over territory, Appledusk accidentally killed a warrior from my Clan, Birchface,” her eyes closed as she recalled the events of the last few seasons. “We stopped meeting, but I was already pregnant with his kits. I had his kits in ThunderClan and told nobody who the father was. Their names were Larchkit, Patchkit, and Petalkit - two toms and one molly. Frecklewish, Birchface’s brother, assumed that they were Birchface’s and I didn’t say anything to convince them otherwise. It was such an easy lie…” Mapleshade trailed off, then pulled herself back. The pace of her speech quickened. “But Ravenwing, ThunderClan’s medicine cat - like a vet, but he uses herbs instead of Twoleg medicine - found out about me and Appledusk. He told the entire Clan about me. Oakstar, the leader of ThunderClan, banished me and my kits from the Clan, and I thought… I was foolish… I decided to take my kits to RiverClan,” she choked, grief welling up in her chest. “The river was too dangerous, and none of my kits made it across. They’re… they’re buried on RiverClan territory.”

Myler’s muzzle brushed her shoulder. “Oh, Mapleshade, I’m so sorry…” he whispered.

“That’s not all,” she said. Her mind was racing. “I reached RiverClan and Appledusk told me that our relationship was a mistake and that it was my fault our kits were dead. His new mate, a  _ loyal _ RiverClan molly named Reedshine, defended him and he got to stay in RiverClan while Darkstar, his leader, banished me from  _ RiverClan _ territory as well. I was furious… I was tired, hungry… I wanted revenge for the death of my kits so I… I followed Ravenwing and killed him when he was alone.” Myler’s eyes widened. “A ThunderClan apprentice told me that Frecklewish had seen my kits drown and she hadn’t helped, so I went after her and killed her, too. Then I went to RiverClan and killed Appledusk,”  _ Reedshine did, technically, but it’s my fault he’s dead, _ her mind whispered. “A RiverClan apprentice attacked me and gave me that horrible wound to my throat,” she touched the scarring on her neck and chest as she remembered the fighting. “I was supposed to have died as well. It would’ve been a suitable punishment for what I did,” Mapleshade turned to Myler. “I broke our sacred code and murdered three cats. This is who I am, Myler.”

There was a long silence as Myler looked down at his paws. His blue eyes flicked back up and he replied, “No.” Before Mapleshade could object, he repeated and went on, “No. That’s maybe who you  _ were, _ but that’s not who you are now. I’ve known you for two moons now and I’ll admit I’m a little scared of you, but you haven’t done anything to hurt me. You listened to my advice and didn’t hurt yourself or the Twolegs, either,” he placed one paw on her chest, where her heart would be. “You were hurting and didn’t know what you were doing. You did some bad things, but… you can change, Mapleshade. You’re already changing.” In Myler’s gaze and her chest sparked something that Mapleshade hadn’t felt in a long while - hope for a better future.

“I… you think I can change?” Mapleshade mused, breaking eye contact and letting her ears fall back. His faith, though he knew no StarClan, was astounding.

Myler licked her shoulder affectionately. “I know you can if you make an effort,” he mewed, studying the horizon with her.

“Alright then,” Mapleshade murmured, and she could have sworn she saw the faint outline of her kits on the barn roof beside Myler. She blinked and they disappeared. “I’ll try, Myler.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I have to say is 'I need more Mylershade content and if I do not find it, I will create it'


	4. Chapter 4

“Let’s go hunting, Mapleshade!” Myler cried, leaping down from his nest to stand next to hers. “All the mice will be drowsy and easier to catch because it’s so early,” his tail swished over the straw enthusiastically and he bopped her in the shoulder with his nose.

Mapleshade had been living with Myler for about a half-moon, and the freedom was foreign to her. There were no patrols, no elderly or sick Clanmates to feed, no leader nor deputy to obey. Just her and the barn cat, hunting and sleeping whenever they felt like it. She yawned and stretched out her front paws before slipping out of her nest, following Myler down the haystack in a few short bounds.

Mapleshade’s whiskers twitched as she scanned the floorboards and piles of hay for traces of prey. Myler dropped into a hunting crouch and started to creep across the boards, quickly pouncing on and pinning down a mouse before finishing it with a killing bite to the neck. He sat up triumphantly and in the same movement swished his tail across the hay, sending the rest of the prey scurrying for cover. He murmured an apology and something about not having to worry about two cats hunting before.

Mapleshade sighed. “It’ll take ages for the mice to come back out,” she grumbled. “I’ll go hunt in the field.” Mapleshade shook out her ears and started toward the barn door, dragging her paws, disgruntled.

Myler seemed appalled. “No!” he objected firmly. “Come over and share this mouse with me - there’s plenty for both of us and we can catch more later.” Myler twitched his tail-tip in a beckoning gesture.

Mapleshade hesitated, then shook out her pelt and padded over to where the black-and-white tom was sitting. Myler nosed the mouse toward her, the sweet smell of fresh-kill making her mouth water invitingly. “You should take the first bite,” she pushed it back. “You caught it, after all.”

Myler shrugged and took his share, then used a paw to pass it back to Mapleshade. She tucked in, ignoring the weird taste of hay that all the mice here seemed to have. Her stomach had shrunk at least five sizes since leaving ThunderClan, so she was quickly full.

“Let’s go check the borders,” Myler declared loudly, startling Mapleshade.

“Do you even  _ have _ borders?” Mapleshade tipped her head to the side.

Myler grinned. “Not really! But you haven’t seen the edges of the farmland yet and we might as well go out while it’s nice,” Myler flicked his tail toward the barn door, where Mapleshade could see that the sun was shining.  _ Early, _ he’d said when he’d woken her up. If she was living in a Clan, the dawn patrol would have gone out  _ ages _ ago!

Mapleshade dug a sharp bit of hay from between her toes. “Sounds great,” she muttered dejectedly. Mapleshade wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel. Elated that she was alive and living freely? Or devastated that she had lost her home and her family? She still felt the loss of her kits like a claw sunk deep into her heart, but sometimes being with Myler helped dull the pain. Better than if she was alone, she supposed.

Myler smiled and bounded over to the barn door.  _ Great StarClan, _ Mapleshade thought,  _ is he ever unhappy? _ Then she wondered what he’d ever had to be unhappy about. There was nobody else here to lose, the prey always ran well, and he didn’t have any responsibilities. It wasn’t Mapleshade’s ideal life, but she was going to get used to it. She was starting to get used to it, she thought.

Mapleshade flattened her ears and trod after Myler, sweeping the mouse bones aside with her tail. She’d clean it up when they got back.

Myler led Mapleshade out and away from the field, down toward the Thunderpath and the moor. They didn’t talk much, only exchanging a few words as Myler noted things about their surroundings, and not stopping until they’d reached the Thunderpath. Mapleshade was breathing heavily, the wound at her throat starting to ache again.

“Tired already, warrior queen?” Myler teased, flicking her shoulder with his tail-tip. She felt like clawing him, but she smoothed down ruffled fur and decided to have fun. It wasn’t the ideal place for a game, only a few fox-lengths from the acrid tar of the Twoleg ‘road’, as Myler had informed her it was called, but if she could relax here perhaps she could settle in properly at the barn.

“I’ll show you who’s tired!” Mapleshade cried, dropping into a crouch and quickly springing onto the barn cat. They rolled in the grass for a few long moments, claws sheathed, Mapleshade’s invisible wounds ebbing away as she remembered what it was like to have a Clanmate again. To have a  _ friend _ again.

Myler and Mapleshade tumbled down the rise in a ball of laughter and fur, Mapleshade heaving Myler off of her once they’d stopped. “Get off, you big lump!” she exclaimed playfully.

“Just wait ‘til I-” Myler was interrupted by the thumping of paws on the moorland. Mapleshade rolled over and got to her feet, amber eyes taking in the approaching WindClan patrol with hostility. They’d crossed the scent marks; Mapleshade had barely smelled them. Myler seemed anxious.

“Go! Back over the scent line!” Mapleshade hissed, and for once Myler didn’t argue with her, bolting back up the hill toward the farm. Mapleshade scrambled to follow him, but she’d put on weight in the Twoleg den and her throat wound was really starting to bother her.

“Hey!” one of the WindClan cats called, and Mapleshade recognized two of the patrol as Swiftflight and Midgepelt. Mapleshade couldn’t get away fast enough and though she managed to put the scent line between her and the enemy cats, they caught up to her quickly.

“Rogue!” a small grey tabby spat, an apprentice by the look of her. Mapleshade hissed back, though she knew it was unwise. She couldn’t handle a fight in her current state. She was still weak from the wound that should have killed her.

“Quiet, Icepaw,” Midgepelt growled.  _ Please don’t recognize me, please don’t recognize me… _ Mapleshade prayed silently.

“What were you doing on our territory?” Swiftflight demanded, the pale grey tabby’s tail lashing furiously. “Are you with that furball, the loner?”

“Who, Myler?” Mapleshade replied innocently, curling her tail serenely.  _ Don’t be suspicious. I’m just a rogue. _ “Yes, I moved in with him a… a few moons ago.”  _ No need to be specific. _

“So you’re new, then?” Midgepelt flicked his tail over Icepaw’s mouth. He was most likely her mentor, Mapleshade noted. “In case you hadn’t noticed, this is  _ WindClan _ land. Stay off of it from now on,” he finished gruffly.

“I have no interest in meeting you horrible cats again,” Mapleshade sniffed haughtily and scrunched up her nose, trying to imitate a rogue she’d met on ThunderClan territory once.  _ Stupid mange-pelt, she was, _ Mapleshade recalled, then shook herself out of the memory. Without glancing back, Mapleshade shook out her fur and started trekking back toward the barn. The sound of pawsteps after she’d started to leave told her that the WindClan patrol was moving away.

Myler greeted her in a patch of brush nearby. “I thought you were roadkill for sure!” he exclaimed, eyes wide. “I can’t believe you stood up to them like that!” Myler glanced at her neck scar as if he could guess what had held her up.

“If I was fit, I would have sent a few of them away with scratches as well,” Mapleshade grumbled bitterly. “Feather-brained prey-stealers and cowards, the whole lot of them. Oakstar caught them invading our territory for food more than once, and we don’t even share a  _ border _ with them. Appledusk used to complain all the time about those mange-pelts stealing birds from RiverClan territory.”  _ And I hope I never hear about it again, _ she added silently.

“Why don’t all the Clans just  _ share _ their prey?” Myler asked as they started to make their way back to the barn. “You’d avoid so many injuries that way. I don’t see why you need four Clans anyway.” Mapleshade yet again almost clawed him.

“Because there have always been four Clans,” Mapleshade explained, “and the warrior code tells us to defend our borders from the other Clans, rogues, loners, and kittypets. Each Clan stands alone.”

“But it doesn’t make any  _ sense, _ ” Myler insisted, and Mapleshade just shook her head. She wasn’t going to waste energy defending a code that had taken the life of her kits and nearly her own.

Myler seemed to sense that she wanted to change the subject and asked instead, “Did you know those cats?” with an air of innocence.

“Two of them,” Mapleshade admitted. “Midgepelt and Swiftflight. I’d met them at Gatherings, which is when all four Clans meet under a full-moon truce to discuss the moon’s events, announce new warriors, apprentices, and kits, things like that. I didn’t know any of the others.” She remembered the Gathering when Oakstar had announced the birth of her three kits. She’d left her kits under Frecklewish’s supervision to go. She’d been so proud…

“Mapleshade?” she’d zoned out again. Myler was waving his tail in front of her snout. “We can talk about something else, I’m sorry. Do you want to go run in the field?” the loner suggested. Myler had taken her out running once or twice before, and though she’d been sceptical at first, something was soothing about running through the rows upon rows of identical stalks, feeling them brush at her pelt. She’d also gotten lost the first time, but Myler had been there to guide her out when she’d panicked.

Mapleshade blinked. “Yes,” she declared. “I’d love to,” Mapleshade paused. “But perhaps a walk, not a run.”

“Oh, yeah, of course, my bad,” Myler flattened his ears. “C’mon,” he bounded toward the field and Mapleshade had to increase her stride to keep up - where he got all his energy from, she didn’t know. She was almost envious.

Mapleshade chased Myler through the field at a medium, easy pace, not at all annoyed that he stayed one tail-length ahead of her the entire time. She wasn’t trying to catch him, not really, but it was fun to pretend that she was. When they reached the other side of the field, Mapleshade’s ears perked up as she heard voices. Twoleg voices.

“It’s the Twolegs!” Myler circled to stand beside her. “Do you want to go say hi?” he blinked at her, expectant.

She was baffled. “What do you mean?” Mapleshade asked. “Why?”

Myler seemed equally as confused. “Because they took care of you? Because they might be worried that you’ve hurt yourself again?” Myler nosed her shoulder. “I’ll come with you, don’t worry.” She hadn’t been worrying, but she was reassured nonetheless.

Mapleshade sighed. “I suppose,” she didn’t feel a sense of loyalty to the Twolegs, but she had to admit it would be fun to see how they’d react to seeing her again. Especially now that she wasn’t as scared of them.

“We talk to the Twolegs,  _ then _ we can go back to the barn, ‘kay?” Myler smiled and padded out from the stalks of wheat. “Quickly, before they go back inside!”

Mapleshade heaved a deep breath, tired, but padded after Myler. The male Twoleg spotted them first and pointed them out to the Twoleg molly. They made weird gestures with their hairless paws and strange noises, but Mapleshade stayed where she was. She’d been touched by Twolegs enough to last her a lifetime.

“I think they miss you,” Myler’s black-and-white pelt brushed her side as he spoke gently. “I think they want you to come back and live with them again.”

Mapleshade scrunched her nose. “Well, I don’t want to,” she huffed. “Are you happy now? Can we go back to the barn?”

“At least now they know you’re safe,” Myler said. “And they know you’re living with me in the barn. I’m sure they won’t object to that.” When she didn’t reply, Myler sighed. “Yes, Mapleshade. Let’s go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looking for a beta reader for this story!  
> If you're interested, please contact me on Discord @ Sy'verne Si'en#8162.


	5. Chapter 5

_ “Come on, Maplekit! Let’s go explore outside the hollow!” Maplekit’s sister, Birchkit, exclaimed, scurrying toward the brambles that surrounded the ThunderClan camp. Maplekit glanced over her shoulder, checking to make sure no warriors were watching, then threw herself to the ground and scrambled out under the barrier. Her pelt was pricked by the thorns and some caught in her fur, but she was too excited by the thought of an adventure to care. _

_ “Won’t Tansynose be angry?” Maplekit mewed, picking a bramble from between her claws. Tansynose was Maplekit and Birchkit’s mother, a stern but loving force in both kits’ lives. “She was furious the last time we tried to explore.” _

_ “Well, she won’t find out this time, and neither will Thornflight!” Birchkit declared, ducking behind a bush. “Let’s go to Snakerocks!” the small tortoiseshell kit lifted her head and her tail and firmly walked in what she thought was the direction of the huge stones. _

_ “Snakerocks?” Maplekit bounded after her sister. “Isn’t that dangerous? Adders are living there! They can kill kits!” Maplekit was scared, but she wouldn’t let her sister know that. _

_ Birchkit scoffed. “Those are just nursery tales meant to scare us! I’m sure the rocks just  _ look _ like snakes, and that’s why it’s called Snakerocks. Come on, scaredy-kit!” she flicked her tail and charged ahead. _

_ Maplekit had to admit her sister made sense. She followed closely on Birchkit’s tail, wondering how Birchkit knew the way so well. Soon the rocks loomed before the two kits, grand and insurmountable. _

_ A bolt of lightning split the sky and rain started to pour down. Mapleshade looked around for her sister but Birchflower was nowhere to be seen. Fog rolled into the clearing, snaking around Mapleshade’s paws as she retreated. _

_ “Stay!” a voice ordered, low and demanding. “Stay and face your past, Mapleshade.” _

_ Mapleshade looked up, to the very top of the rocks, which seemed much higher than she remembered. Perched there was the ghastly, pale outline of Frecklewish, her claws unsheathed on the stone and her neck coiled back, like a snake about to strike. Her amber eyes were slits. _

_ “You lied to us!” Frecklewish screeched with the blazing fury of a thousand suns. “You lied to all of us and left me to die!” her tail thrashed. “If it wasn’t for you, I would still have my eyes!” to Mapleshade’s horror, Frecklewish’s face started to fall off - at least, that was what it looked like, revealing horribly wounded, sightless eyes that bulged from their sockets. _

_ Mapleshade stepped back, a wave of fear washing over her. She couldn’t apologize. It was too late. Was Frecklewish blind in StarClan because of her? _

_ “You’re a monster, and when you die you’ll rest with the other monsters!” Frecklewish gestured around, and suddenly Snakerocks was crawling with cats - scrawny, ragged cats with dark eyes and horrible, dripping wounds, hissing and spitting at her. They were hardly cats anymore, just hollow shells living only to fight each other. _

Is this how Myler sees all Clan cats? _ Mapleshade wondered, struck by the memory of his words on their viciousness when they’d first met. She could almost hear his voice, calling out to her… _

_ The cats started to laugh. “Myler isn’t coming for you, Mapleshade,” they jeered. “Myler can’t help you here, Mapleshade. You’re going to stay with us forever, Mapleshade. Mapleshade, Mapleshade, Mapleshade…” _

“Mapleshade!” she jerked awake, her amber eyes wide as she gasped for air. Myler was standing over her, his paws on her shoulders. It seemed as if he had been holding her down while he tried to wake her up. “Mapleshade, that’s the worst I’ve ever seen you. Is everything okay?” He took her silence as an answer. “I’ll get you some fresh-kill, just wait here.”

Mapleshade opened her mouth to object, but the black-and-white tom had already leapt down from the hay and started stalking a nearby mouse. One thing she’d learned about Myler - he was fast. Perhaps he had WindClan blood in him, which wouldn’t be too impossible considering the moor nearby. Mapleshade resolved to ask him about his family sometime.

“Eat this,” Myler said when he’d returned, nosing a plump mouse toward her. Mapleshade graciously chowed down on the prey, too shaken to argue her pride. “Are you strong enough to climb to the roof for some water?”

She finished the mouse and looked up, curling her toes in as she did so. “Yes,” Mapleshade muttered, heaving herself to her paws, glad that he wasn’t asking any more questions about her dream. She didn’t want to even think about it.

Myler bounded to the top of the haystack and then leapt into the rafters, pausing to wait for Mapleshade. She followed him, bunching her muscles and springing onto another beam, the feeling of the squared wood still strange beneath her paws. She scrambled along its length and leapt to another rafter, heading for the hole in the roof tiles, shaking sleep from her pelt with each jump.

Myler reached the hole first, as always, and heaved himself through with ease. Mapleshade struggled to pull herself up, a sudden bolt of pain shooting through her neck, and as she slowly got herself through she felt Myler’s teeth grasp her scruff and aid her.

“I don’t need your help!” Mapleshade hissed angrily, wrenching from his grip once she was through. Her throat protested with a twinge but she continued to bristle, staring accusingly at the barn cat.

“There’s no shame in accepting help,” Myler mewed defensively, backing away slowly across the roof. She realized with a pang that he was still somewhat afraid of her - and it wasn’t entirely Myler’s fault he felt that way.

Mapleshade sighed dejectedly, suddenly tired and unwilling to start a fight. Myler wasn’t trying to offend her, she knew that. He didn’t think like her. “You’re right,” Mapleshade admitted, padding over to the gutter. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped. I wasn’t thinking.”

Myler seemed surprised as he joined her. Cautiously, the barn tom trailed his tail-tip along her spine. She shuddered. “I should have at least warned you before I grabbed you,” Myler added. “I wasn’t thinking either. I just didn’t want you to fall.” Myler’s face looked strange without its usual smile - it was replaced by a look of concern.

Mapleshade leaned down to take a drink, twitching as cold water brushed past her whiskers. When she straightened, she mewed suddenly, “I dreamed about Frecklewish.”

Myler stiffened. “One of the cats you killed?” his voice was a hoarse whisper and his ears fell. Mapleshade nodded.

“I should have apologized for her death, but I was too scared. I tried to escape instead,” Mapleshade hung her head. Speaking felt forced - she had never been a very open cat. “They laughed at me for it.”

“ _ ‘They’ _ ?” Myler inquired, leaning towards her.

“Spirit-cats, but not from StarClan,” Mapleshade gulped. “Residents of the Place of No Stars, where evil cats and monsters go to rot.” She’d explained StarClan to Myler before, though he’d seemed sceptical of it. “They were standing on Snakerocks with Frecklewish.”

“I… I see,” Myler murmured, resting his tail at the base of her spine. It was a kind, reassuring gesture. “You’re worried that when you die, you’ll become one of these… evil ‘spirit-cats’?” she appreciated him trying, but Mapleshade knew that he didn’t believe any of her speak of spirit-cats and StarClan.

“You don’t have to pretend that you share my beliefs,” Mapleshade dipped her head to Myler. “Yes, I’m worried, and without the guidance of a medicine cat, I’m… I don’t know what to do,” she gazed out over the moor, pensive. “Medicine cats heal and share with StarClan - they’re responsible for reading signs and advising the Clan leader. Without one, I don’t know what’s real and what’s a figment of my imagination.” Her shoulders slumped dejectedly.

“It’s true, I don’t believe in StarClan,” Myler nodded, “but I’d like to learn more about them. Can these medicine cats speak to  _ any _ dead cat?” Myler nosed her shoulder, encouraging her to speak. She knew he was just trying to make her feel better by talking, and nothing she could say would make a difference.

“Not really,” Mapleshade started. “Medicine cats speak with whichever cats choose to show themselves to them. Every half-moon, they travel to the Moonstone to share tongues with StarClan and bring back warnings and advice for their Clans.”

“It sounds like an important job with a lot of responsibilities,” Myler noted. “What did you do, as a warrior?”

Mapleshade scoffed. “I hunted and I fought. Stop asking questions you already know the answer to, Myler,” the tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat turned away, the fur on her shoulders prickling slowly. Her movement dropped Myler’s tail from her back.

Myler placed his paw on her shoulder. “I’m sure there was more to it than that, or else you would have left before you’d been forced out,” he mewed gently. “I know you, Mapleshade-”

“No, you don’t!” Mapleshade snapped, whipping her head back around to hiss at him. “I promised you that I’d try to change and it isn’t working. You think you know who I am, but you think wrong,  _ kittypet. _ ” Mapleshade spat the insult out like adder poison, baring her teeth.

Myler shrunk away. “Change takes time…” he murmured weakly, backing to the edge of the roof.

“My life certainly changed fast enough!” Mapleshade yowled. “I used to be respected! I used to have a family and Clan that loved me! Now I’m sharing a Twoleg barn with a stinking loner!” Her gaze swam with fury, anger at everything that had been torn away from her.

“Is that really what you think of me?” Myler asked softly, his words barely audible over the wind. “If you’re so unhappy here, I’m sure that WindClan would like to make the other Clans mad and take you in. Or I know that the Twolegplace is always looking for more rogues to prowl its streets.” Myler didn’t seem angry, just disappointed, and that was almost worse. Was he disappointed that she didn’t want to try anymore?

“I wish you’d let me die,” Mapleshade trembled, curling in her unsheathed claws and letting them grate against the roof tiles.

“If that’s really what you think, then you’re right. I don’t know you, Mapleshade,” Myler mewed curtly. He went for the hole in the roof, disappearing back into the barn. Mapleshade stayed where she was and soon saw his black-and-white form disappear into the wheat field.

Myler didn’t come back that night, and Mapleshade felt more alone than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i want chocolate and also for mylershade to be canon


	6. Chapter 6

Mapleshade hadn’t seen Myler for days. She found herself standing on the roof during every spare moment, searching the surrounding area for any hint of his black-and-white fur, yowling his name to the sun and stars. Guilt and worry gnawed at her belly like a hungry fox. She’d driven him away, and now he might be in danger.

Mapleshade stood on the edge of the moor, her pelt ruffled against the breeze. She caught a glimpse of a silver pelt chasing hares downwind, and patiently waited to be spotted. Soon, the WindClan apprentice saw her as well.

“It’s you!” Icepaw didn’t seem surprised. “Midgepelt said you would stray onto our territory again. Go away, mange-pelt!” the silver tabby seemed annoyed, and Mapleshade noted that there was no scent of fresh-kill on her. Icepaw must have lost her catch.

“Where’s the rest of your patrol?” Mapleshade asked simply, her amber eyes tracing the hills of the moor. She didn’t see any other cats.

“Hunting,” Icepaw answered quickly.  _ Too quickly, _ Mapleshade noted.

“I know you’re lying,” Mapleshade narrowed her eyes. “Does your mentor know that you’re out by yourself?”

Icepaw shifted nervously. “Y-yes,” she answered. “If you touch one hair on my pelt, he’ll-”

“Relax, I don’t want to hurt you,” Mapleshade interrupted. “I just want to know if you or any of your Clanmates have seen a black-and-white loner named Myler. He disappeared a few days ago and I… I’m worried about him.” Mapleshade admitted.

Icepaw’s gaze softened, then shifted back to blue shards of ice. “Why should I help you?” the apprentice demanded, taking a step towards Mapleshade with a hiss.

“Because if you’d lost a Clanmate, you would have checked to see if the barn cats had seen them after searching your territory. Well, I’ve checked my territory multiple times and he’s nowhere to be found. I was injured a… a while back and can’t go running off on wild goose chases, so I wanted to know if you could point me in the right direction,” Mapleshade answered smoothly. She’d practised this.

Icepaw fell silent, then replied, “No, I haven’t seen him. I’ll check with my Clanmates for you, though. It sounds like you must care about him a lot,” the last sentence was barely a whisper. Was Icepaw  _ jealous _ of her relationship with the loner?  _ Maybe Icepaw doesn’t have any friends, and that’s why she’s so prickly, _ Mapleshade thought.

“I guess I do,” Mapleshade grunted. “You know where to find me if there’s any news. Thank you.” Mapleshade got to her paws and turned around, starting to head back to the barn.

“Wait!” Icepaw called, and Mapleshade stopped, glancing over her shoulder. “What’s your name? I’m Icepaw!”

Mapleshade paused, contemplating whether to answer or not. Finally, she mewed simply, “Maple. Nice to meet you, Icepaw.” She was lying - she’d rather not know this WindClan apprentice any more than she had to - but if Icepaw knew that she’d probably refuse to help Mapleshade.

“You too, Maple!” Icepaw’s mouth twitched into a tiny smile. “I hope you find that loner!” Icepaw shouted, then turned and darted away over the hills, probably on the trail of another rabbit.

_ Did I just make a friend? _ Mapleshade hesitated where she was, bewildered. The apprentice had been so prickly at first, she had been sure she would have gotten her ears clawed. If Icepaw was so lonely that she had to make friends with a ‘mangy rogue’, well… perhaps Mapleshade could take pity on her. Saying hello to Icepaw a few times here and there couldn’t hurt.

When Mapleshade returned to the barn, a familiar black-and-white face was there to greet her.

“Myler!” Mapleshade cried, bounding towards the tom. “Great StarClan, I’m so sorry… where did you go? I thought you were hurt or hated me or-” she broke off in confusion as Myler touched his nose to hers with a purr. “Myler?”

“I went to visit ThunderClan,” Myler explained sheepishly, curling his tail around his back paws. He seemed tired.

“ _ ThunderClan? _ ” Mapleshade recoiled, taken aback. “What were you doing  _ there? _ ”  _ Did he tell them that I’m alive? _ Mapleshade thought, her legs quaking.

“You told me that I didn’t know you, so I went to find cats that had known you much longer than I have,” Myler shrugged. “I told them you’d told me your name and where you’d come from, then died in my territory. I said that you’d been weighing on my mind for moons and I’d finally decided to investigate,” when Mapleshade didn’t say anything, he went on. “Most of them didn’t have anything nice to say, but some of the elders seemed annoyed with this and told me about what you were like when you were younger. Before you had your kits, and even just before you were thrown out. Then the other cats admitted that they had liked you, too. I learned a lot.” Myler paused. “I tried to visit RiverClan as well, but one of the cats on the patrol seemed to have a grudge against you and threatened to rip my fur off if I said your name again.”

“Was it Reedshine or Perchpaw?” Mapleshade asked quietly. “Reedshine’s a molly, Perchpaw’s a tom. Perchpaw was Appledusk’s apprentice.”

“It was a tom,” Myler confirmed. “I think I heard one of the other cats call his name and it did start with Perch. It wasn’t Perchpaw, though… I think it might have been Perchfang.” Myler looked thoughtful.

“Perchfang? Then he’s been given his warrior name,” Mapleshade realized for the first time just how long she’d been away from the Clans. Perchpaw- no, Perchfang. had been a young apprentice when they’d met on RiverClan territory. “He gave me the wound on my throat.” Mapleshade brushed her paw along the old scar, where white fur refused to grow back despite the moons of healing. It would serve as a permanent reminder of her pain and exile, no matter what happened.

“Oh,” Myler breathed, stepping towards Mapleshade. He lifted one paw. “May I touch it?” the loner asked, his ears flat.

Mapleshade nodded. “Be gentle,” she mewed. Mapleshade couldn’t help but flinch when Myler touched the exposed skin, and he recoiled.

“Did I hurt you?” Myler asked, blue eyes dark with concern. “I’m-”

“No, you didn’t,” Mapleshade assured him. “It hardly ever hurts anymore. I just can’t overwork myself.” Mapleshade glanced down at her neck.

Myler leaned back in but didn’t go to touch her again. Instead, he sniffed her with a curious look on his face. “You smell of moor cats,” Myler announced. “Did you have another issue with WindClan?” He regarded her with worry and slight fear.

Mapleshade shook her head. “Not an issue,” she mewed. “I ran into that apprentice, Icepaw, on her own while I was looking for you. I asked her if she’d seen you and she said no, but that she’d ask her Clanmates. She’s not nearly as hostile as I thought she was.” Mapleshade admitted.

“You were looking for me?” Myler seemed surprised. He sat down and curled his tail over his paws, pensive.

“Of course I was, you dumb furball!” Mapleshade exclaimed, shocked. She forced her fur to lay flat, squeezing her amber eyes closed. “I thought you had been attacked or captured or that you had decided that you hated me and that’s why you weren’t coming home.” Icepaw’s words echoed in her ears.  _ You must care about him a lot. _ Mapleshade pushed it away. She didn’t want to get attached to Myler. She’d been hurt too much that way.

“I’m sorry for worrying you,” Myler pressed his nose to Mapleshade’s shoulder and she replied by rasping her tongue over his ears. “I’m not used to living with other cats. We’re both still adjusting, Mapleshade. I can’t blame you for your mood swings, not after everything that’s happened to you. I won’t abandon you, even if I do need time alone sometimes and I don’t know how to explain.”

Mapleshade realized that the uncomfortable prickle under her fur at having another cat so close had lessened over the last moon. She didn’t mind Myler touching her anymore. Mapleshade’s tail-tip twitched, the only physical indication of her revelation.

Myler purred. “I just realized that you called the barn ‘home’ just now,” he mewed, and Mapleshade was grateful for the change of subject. “Welcome home, then, Mapleshade.” Myler stepped away and dipped his head to her. “Hunt with me?”

Mapleshade’s stomach growled and she realized that she’d forgotten to hunt that morning, too concentrated on going out to look for Myler again. The guilt and worry in her belly had taken over any feelings of hunger. “I’m starving,” Mapleshade admitted. “Do you want to try some partner hunting techniques? I used to catch squirrels that way, but I think it would work on a few mice, and we wouldn’t have to worry about scaring them away.”

“A few mice at the same time?” Myler tilted his head to the side, curious. “How does it work?”

Mapleshade crouched down, miming stalking an invisible mouse. “One of us chases the mice, driving them right into the other cat’s claws!” she pretended to pounce but kept her claws sheathed. “We could get at least two, maybe three if we’re fast.”

Myler’s sapphire eyes glittered. “Let’s try it! I hate waiting around for all the mice to calm down after killing one or two,” the black-and-white tom flicked his tail across the straw. “I’ll chase some over to you, okay?” Myler tried to hide it, but Mapleshade noticed him glance at her neck wound.

Mapleshade felt the fur on her shoulders start to bristle, but she forced it to flatten down. No sense in getting angry, he was just looking out for her. “Sounds good,” she mewed instead, nodding curtly. Mapleshade padded after Myler, perching, ready, in the centre of the barn.

Myler disappeared behind the hay and Mapleshade heard his pawsteps fall away. Ready, she dropped down into a hunting crouch and unsheathed her claws. A distant memory of hunting like this with her ThunderClan Clanmates started to wisp back, but she shoved it away, concentrating on the here and now.

There was a cacophony of squeaking and squealing as Myler charged out from behind the hay, chasing what seemed like an entire colony of mice towards Mapleshade. He looked like he was having fun, hissing and snarling at the offending mice. Mapleshade waited, tensed, as the mice made a beeline for what they thought was safety, some escaping to the sides but the majority running straight towards her claws. She lashed out, her claws catching one and nicking a second on the flank. When the sounds fell away and the rest of the mice had fled, Mapleshade sat up and took in her catch. The second mouse was still trying to get away, so she darted over to it and killed it with a quick bite to the neck.

“Two fat mice!” Myler exclaimed, joining her by the fresh-kill. “We’re  _ feasting _ today, Mapleshade!” He flicked his tail happily and it brushed Mapleshade’s flank.

Mapleshade blinked. She didn’t think it was  _ that _ much prey. “You take one and I’ll take the other?” she offered, snatching up the first mouse in her jaws. She trotted away to her nest, knocking away old prey bones that she’d forgotten to clean up as she climbed the haystack.

Myler stayed in the middle of the barn to eat. Mapleshade glanced at him and started to tear into her fresh-kill, quickly devouring the plump mouse. She gnawed on the bones until it barely tasted of mice, then disposed of them with the others. In the meantime, Myler had hopped up to his nest and was staring at it, puzzled.

“Did you sleep in my nest?” Myler asked, hooking a tuft of tortoiseshell fur on his claw and holding it up. He sniffed it, confirming what he’d already guessed from the other scents.

Mapleshade felt her pelt grow hot with shame. “In case you came back while I was asleep,” she hurried to explain. “If I slept in  _ your _ nest, then you’d have to wake me to make me-”

“That makes sense unless you think about the fact that I could then just take  _ your _ nest for the night,” Myler’s eyes were bright with amusement. “You’re a funny cat, Mapleshade.”

Mapleshade dropped her amber gaze to the ground. “I was worried,” she mumbled half-heartedly, twitching her tail-tip over the edge of her nest. Mapleshade glanced back up just in time to see Myler tucking the tuft of her fur back into his nest, but she didn’t think he’d seen her.

Myler stretched out his paws and yawned. “Wow, I’m exhausted!” he exclaimed dramatically. “I’m taking a nap, Mapleshade. Goodnight!” Myler flopped down into his nest and curled up, leaving Mapleshade slightly confused.

_ I guess he  _ has _ been out for a while. He must not have slept well in the wild, _ Mapleshade thought, her ear twitching in amusement. It was only a little while after sunhigh, but it was as good a time as any, she supposed. “I’m going out,” Mapleshade announced to Myler’s back, clambering to her paws and bounding down the haystack. He didn’t acknowledge her, but she knew he wasn’t asleep yet.

Mapleshade left the barn and stopped, looking out at the peaks of Highstones. They weren’t far, just down the way and across the Thunderpath. She could visit the Moonstone if she wanted to. She could go tonight.  _ I could bring Myler to see StarClan if he wanted it. _

Mapleshade turned away and charged towards the field. She halted at the edge, her nose twitching as the scent of WindClan washed over her.  _ Did the wind blow the scent over? Why would WindClan cats be _ here?

“Maple!” Mapleshade unsheathed her claws and jumped back as a silver muzzle poked from the wheat. “Did I scare you? I’ve been practising my stalking and hiding techniques! It’s hard on the moor, though,” the apprentice chattered.

“Icepaw?” Mapleshade’s brow furrowed in confusion.  _ Is this really the prickly apprentice I met on the WindClan border? We’ve only talked twice! Why is she coming to visit me? _ “What are you doing here?”

“You told me to come if I had any news about your loner friend!” Icepaw reminded her. “I-”

“It’s fine. He showed up after I talked to you,” Mapleshade explained, cutting Icepaw off.

“Oh,” Icepaw looked crestfallen. “I was going to say that there’s a Gathering tonight - that’s a big meeting of all the cats in the forest - and that I could ask around if you want,” the silver tabby padded from the wheat and shook a few loose stalks from her fur.

“Best not to, now that he’s home safely,” Mapleshade replied curtly. “You can run along now. Your Clanmates are probably wondering where you’ve gone.” Mapleshade didn’t want to be friends with a Clan cat, not even a WindClan apprentice. Word could get around too quickly, and apprentices had big mouths. ThunderClan would come after her for sure.

“I told Brackenkit that I had smelled some weird scents on the border while I was hunting and that I had gone to investigate if anybody asked where I’d gone,” Icepaw explained matter-of-factly. “I didn’t tell them which border or when I’d be home. Please, can I stay for a little while? Ravenpaw and Crouchpaw will claw me if I stay around camp and Smallstar won’t let me do more patrols.”

“Your denmates will  _ claw _ you?” Mapleshade recoiled, taken aback. Upon closer inspection, Mapleshade realized that Icepaw’s pelt was pockmarked with tiny scars, including a few that were still bleeding.

“I’m trying to be tough, but I couldn’t scare off even you, and you’re a  _ barn cat! _ ” Icepaw mewed dejectedly. “I’ve also tried being nice to them but that just makes them claw me  _ more. _ ”

“Why do they hurt you, Icepaw?” Mapleshade asked, sitting down and curling her tail over her paws.

“Because my parents were kittypets,” Icepaw sighed. “I don’t even remember Twolegplace  _ or _ my parents. My mother brought me to WindClan when I was barely a moon old because I was her only kit and if I stayed with her, the Twolegs would take me away. Smallstar took pity on her, but a lot of my Clanmates think it was a bad idea. Including Ravenpaw and Crouchpaw’s mentors. Which means that they hate me too, because of what their mentors tell them about me when I’m not around. And when I  _ am _ around. Midgepelt at least doesn’t hate me, and he’s a really strong warrior, but I’ve barely learned anything from him. I can’t even catch a stupid rabbit.” Icepaw pawed at the ground, grumbling angrily.

Mapleshade blinked. “That’s… a lot to take in,” she murmured, gazing at the WindClan apprentice. “Have you tried asking other warriors for help, or asking Smallstar for a different mentor?”

“I tried getting Tumbleflower to help me with hunting, but Midgepelt found out and got really annoyed,” Icepaw sat down, folding over to look at the ground. “Ravenpaw bit me when I got back to the den. I couldn’t walk properly for two days. I told Larkwing that it was a little Twoleg dog, but I don’t think he believed me. I still have teeth marks on my flank.”

“Have you told anybody that your denmates are bullying you?” Mapleshade prompted, tilting her head to the apprentice.

“Tumbleflower knows,” Icepaw explained. “She nursed me when I was a kit. Nobody else. I made her promise not to tell Smallstar. If Ravenpaw and Crouchpaw get punished, then they’ll just hurt me  _ worse _ after they’re done their punishment.” Icepaw shivered.

Mapleshade sighed. Poor kit. It was impossible not to feel sorry for her, even if she  _ was _ a Clan cat. Icepaw was a victim of the warrior code, just like Mapleshade. “How about this? If you can make sure that nobody finds out you come here, you can visit whenever you’d like. Just not too often, okay?”

Icepaw’s blue eyes lit up. “Okay, Maple!” the silver tabby leapt to her paws. “I’ll tell Tumbleflower, she’ll cover for me. I have to get home! Thank you!” Icepaw dashed over the rise towards the moor, stopping only to call back, “Goodbye!” The apprentice disappeared into a patch of heather, leaving only her scent.

Mapleshade let out a breath she’d been holding. Well. There was no going back now. How was she going to explain this to Myler?  _ He’ll understand. He’s like that. _

Mapleshade shook out her fur and trotted back towards the barn, her tail brushing the grass. A cold wind caught her greenleaf-thin pelt and she shivered, bushing up the tortoiseshell fur around her shoulders. The trees by the farmhouse had already lost most of their leaves, Mapleshade noticed. Leaf-bare would be upon them soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Projecting onto an apprentice that I made up for this story? Of course not, where would you be getting that idea? *hides fifth- and sixth-grade diaries behind my back*  
> Also... Tumbleflower... I came up with this name five seconds ago and I adore it.


	7. Chapter 7

Mapleshade cried out and was instantly bowled into by two masses of fur. She stood her ground and reached out to batter at the ears of the larger, throwing in a swipe at the smaller as she passed. The smaller tried to slip underneath her and she lashed out with one of her back legs, which the larger used as an opportunity to slam his shoulder into hers, knocking Mapleshade off-balance. With a quick blow from the smaller cat, Mapleshade was knocked to the ground.

Mapleshade rolled over, avoiding a strike from the tom. She leapt back to her feet, growling, her claws sheathed as she waited for the next attack. Her opponents seemed unsure of themselves, so Mapleshade rushed the small she-cat, diving for her throat. The small cat dodged nimbly, but she slipped on the floorboards and went tumbling to the ground.

“Icepaw!” Myler yelped, forgetting the training exercise and rushing over to the fallen apprentice. “Are you okay?”

Mapleshade hung back slightly. Icepaw had asked for battle training, but she had been struggling to fight by herself, so Myler had offered to fight on her side. Mapleshade had been confident that she could take on both of them by herself, but after her fighting skills lay unused for a few moons, she was severely out of practice.

“Yeah, just a little winded,” Icepaw replied, pulling herself to her paws. Myler helped her with a paw and Mapleshade felt a pang of something in her chest. She strongly recognized the emotion, but couldn’t place it.

“You should get going, Icepaw,” Mapleshade mewed curtly. “Midgepelt will be wondering where you are. It’s getting late.” Mapleshade glanced at the barn door, where she could see the sky darkening from the sunset.

Myler started to protest, but Icepaw cut him off. “She’s right,” the silver tabby mewed. “I don’t know what my Clan would do if they found out I’d been coming here. I have to get home.” Icepaw shot a meaningful look at Myler, but Mapleshade couldn’t tell if he’d caught it.

As soon as Icepaw had disappeared out the door, Myler rounded on Mapleshade. “We still had time!” he objected. “Why did you make her go home?” She’d never seen him annoyed like this before - it still wasn’t  _ angry, _ though.

_ Because I didn’t like the way she was looking at you. _ “I want to go to the Moonstone,” Mapleshade replied. “I have to get there before the moon does so that I can share with StarClan.” Her ear twitched, the only hint of her true emotion showing through.

Myler blinked. “Well, we should eat something before we go,” the barn tom mewed.

“ _ ‘We’ _ ?” Mapleshade repeated, narrowing her amber eyes. “I didn’t say that you were coming, Myler.” It wasn’t that she didn’t want him to come, it’s just that she feared he had misunderstood her.

“I know,” Myler replied cheerily. “But considering what happened when I left you alone the last time, I don’t think you can survive without me, Mapleshade. Plus, I’d like to see what this StarClan whatchamacallit is all about.” Myler flicked his tail happily.

“Alright,” Mapleshade sat back. “Let’s go. No food, if you want to share with your ancestors.”  _ If your ancestors are even  _ in _ StarClan, _ Mapleshade added silently.

Myler looked forlornly across the barn to where the mice were gathering. “We’ll feast when we get home,” he promised.

Mapleshade led the way, across the barn territory to the Thunderpath. She’d never lived this close to Highstones before, so it was strange not having to trek across two territories to get to the Moonstone. It wasn’t half-moon, so Highstones was deserted.

The Thunderpath was still alive, however, even if there were fewer monsters than usual. Myler took charge, placing his paw on the edge of the Thunderpath when it looked to be clear.

“No vibrations,” Myler announced. “Quickly, let’s go!”

Mapleshade sprinted across the Thunderpath, envious of Myler and his long legs, who took it in just a few long bounds. The coarse stone of the Thunderpath scraped Mapleshade’s pads, but she would deal with it when they got home. They halted on the side of the Thunderpath, both trying to get their breath back. Even though there had been no monsters, crossing a Thunderpath was stressful and could easily turn dangerous.

“Follow me, I’ll show you to Mothermouth,” Mapleshade mewed, getting back to her paws after a few moments. “It’s just up Highstones.”

Myler nodded, padding after her. Mapleshade led the pair out of the brush and onto the rocky slope of Highstones, heading directly for the yawning opening in the rock face ahead. The last time she’d been here, she’d befouled the Moonstone by murdering a cat in its cave, then dug him out of his grave to rot. Standing at Mothermouth, she gulped.

“Do you want me to go in first?” Myler’s pelt brushed her side as he made his offer. Mapleshade shook her head.

“I know the way. Keep your nose to my tail so that you don’t get lost - it’s dark in there,” Mapleshade advised.

Mapleshade took a deep breath and plunged into the dark hole, instantly feeling confined as the walls became tight to her whiskers. She knew all she had to do was go forwards and not be distracted by any side tunnels, but it made her pelt prickle nonetheless.  _ What was I thinking? I could get us _ both _ lost in here! _

“I can smell your fear-scent,” Myler murmured from behind her. “Don’t worry, we’ll make it. Your warrior ancestors will make sure we don’t get off-track - this is  _ their _ place, after all.”

Myler’s words reassured her and Mapleshade forded forwards, the jagged stones of the ground pricking at her pads. The darkness was cold and suffocating, the air damp and still. Soon, the walls fell away from her whiskers and she realized by the sudden taste of fresh air that they’d reached the cavern of the Moonstone.

“We’re here!” Mapleshade exclaimed in a whisper.

Before Myler had a chance to reply, the moon beamed down through the hole in the roof of the cavern, striking the huge silver stone and illuminating it. The light of the Moonstone filled the cave, reflecting on the two cats’ pelts and filling Mapleshade and Myler with awe. Mapleshade heard Myler gasp audibly.

Mapleshade stepped forwards, her legs quaking, and lay down next to the Moonstone. She gestured with her tail for Myler to do the same. Hesitant, Mapleshade pressed her nose to the stone, almost recoiling at the cold feel.

Mapleshade woke up on the moor, her fur buffeted by the strong winds. She was alone, until a few moments later she heard pawsteps and Myler exclaim, “We’re home!”

_ Is this just an ordinary dream? _ Mapleshade couldn’t see any StarClan ancestors. The sky was still full of stars. Mapleshade’s tail lashed as she started to become annoyed. “StarClan? I’m here to speak with you!” she yowled.

“And we’re here to listen.” A pretty tortoiseshell with stars speckling her fur appeared from the heather, her amber eyes glittering with love and playfulness. Before Mapleshade could call out to her sister, the moor burst into life with starry cats, some whom she recognized, some whom she didn’t. Myler pressed himself up against Mapleshade’s side and frankly, she didn’t blame him. Among the ranks of StarClan Mapleshade spotted the tortoiseshell pelt of her mother, Tansynose, the white fur and black paws of her father, Thornflight, the black pelt of Ravenwing, the speckled pelt of Frecklewish, the brown fur of Appledusk, and the brown and ginger-and-white pelts of her kits. Their expressions were varied.

“Birchflower…” Mapleshade choked, suddenly wracked with grief. “Tansynose… Thornflight…  _ my kits _ …” Her amber eyes were desperate as she searched the moor for sympathy and reassurance. She found it in Myler, who seemed even more scared than she was, and he twined his tail around hers. When she looked back at StarClan, Appledusk was watching Myler with a curious expression.

“Why have you come?” Ravenwing demanded. “Was my warning not enough?” The black-furred medicine cat stepped forwards from StarClan, his beady blue eyes darting around at his new Clanmates. “I don’t want to give you  _ more _ guidance, codebreaker.”

“Hush, Ravenwing!” Tansynose flicked his ear with her long tail and Mapleshade almost laughed. Her mother was disciplining Ravenwing as if he were a troublesome kit! Tansynose turned back to Mapleshade, walking towards her and pressing her nose to her daughter’s cheek. “Welcome to StarClan, Mapleshade. It’s been too long since I’ve seen you.”

Mapleshade tried to reply but found herself crying, this only perpetuated by Tanysnose stepping back and being replaced by Mapleshade’s kits, as bright and playful as they had been before leaving ThunderClan. Mapleshade leaned down, letting her kits nuzzle her cheek fur and touch their noses to hers.

“You will always grieve for us,” Larchkit piped up, sounding wise beyond his years.

“But you can move on,” Patchkit continued, blinking up at her.

“Your life has brought death, but now it may bring new life,” Petalkit finished, and the three kits rejoined the ranks of StarClan. Mapleshade knew it was no use calling out to them - they couldn’t stay.

“Appledusk…” Mapleshade rasped, her eyes dark with sadness as she searched the crowd for her former mate. “Do you have anything to say to me?” Even after everything, she felt some anger towards Appledusk, for abandoning her the way he did.

Appledusk cleared his throat and stepped forwards, but he didn’t look at Mapleshade. Instead, he spoke directly to Myler. “I loved Mapleshade once,” Appledusk started. “It was a long time ago,” Appledusk lifted his muzzle. “I don’t regret what I did. If I hadn’t acted so foolishly, she would never have met you, Myler.” The StarClan tom pressed his muzzle to Myler’s head, despite the barn cat trying to shrink away, and then dissipated back into the stars. Mapleshade couldn’t see his brown pelt anymore and suspected that he’d left completely.

Birchflower bounded towards Mapleshade. “You have cats that need you,” she said simply. “Your paws are on the right path. I look forward to greeting you when it’s your time to join us.” Birchflower touched her muzzle to Mapleshade’s shoulder and Mapleshade returned the gesture. StarClan warriors started to leave, disappearing into the heather and over the hills, returning to the stars. Birchflower was the last to fade, smiling warmly at her sister.

_ Your paws are on the right path. _ Mapleshade purred, slightly choked with grief for her lost family members. But she was happy, happy that she was doing the right thing. She never wanted to see the Dark Forest again as long as she lived.

Mapleshade jolted awake, her nose still pressed against the Moonstone. The stone floor was cold against her paws and she felt Myler shiver, as their pelts were touching. He was still slumbering, so she prodded his shoulder with a paw. Mapleshade’s white belly fur brushed against the stone as she got to her feet, suddenly smelling the sour tang of blood and feeling sick to her stomach.  _ Ravenwing? _ Did his blood-scent still haunt the Moonstone? Her shoulder fur bristled, recalling how Ravenwing had spoken to her in her dream.

Mapleshade was stirred from her thoughts by the gentle patter of Myler’s paws. He was standing by the tunnel out of the Moonstone cavern, just barely illuminated by the fading light from the rock. He beckoned to her with his tail and she felt reassured that she was imagining the scent. Ravenwing had died  _ moons _ ago. There was no way his blood-scent remained in this cave.

Mapleshade trotted after Myler, shivering when the light faded from behind them. He seemed confident that he could lead them back out, or simply hurried to get out of the dark, constricted tunnel. He was a farm cat, after all - he wasn’t used to being in a place such as the Moonstone. To be fair, Mapleshade wasn’t either, and never had been. She’d been to the Moonstone one time aside from this time and when she’d followed Ravenwing, as an apprentice. Birchflower had been with her, along with Mapleshade’s mentor Bloomheart and Birchflower’s mentor Specklerain.

They emerged from the cave with the stars still shining brightly above their heads. There was still moonlight to spare, Mapleshade noted. Myler stopped on the rough dirt and turned back to look at her, his blue eyes wide. Mapleshade’s whiskers twitched as she paused.

“Do Clan cats do that  _ all _ the time?” Myler gaped, staring at her as if she had suddenly turned into a StarClan warrior. “Those were dead cats! We were speaking to  _ dead cats! _ ” The black-and-white tom bounded back towards Mapleshade and placed his paws on her shoulders, shaking her slightly. “That was the craziest, most amazing experience of my entire life. And I was terrified!” Mapleshade could see fear still in his gaze, but there was also awe and dawning respect.

“I was scared the first time I met StarClan as well,” Mapleshade mewed, her lips twitching up in a smile as she was amused by Myler’s actions. “Even though you think we Clan cats are tough, we’re all the same in the face of our warrior ancestors. Were there any cats there that you knew?” Mapleshade gently stepped back, causing Myler to drop back down onto four paws.

“Just one,” Myler answered, turning away from her. “We should get back home before dawn - I want to get some sleep.” The barn cat yawned as if to prove his point. “You’re lucky, being able to see your family again after they’ve gone,” he said as he started to pad away down the slope.

“I thought you said that you knew one of them,” Mapleshade hurried to catch up with him. “Doesn’t that mean that your other family might be hunting with StarClan as well?” Mapleshade looked over and was surprised to find his expression guarded. Myler was usually very open about his feelings, which Mapleshade liked.

“She wasn’t family,” Myler mewed finally as they approached the Thunderpath. “She was a WindClan cat. We were close until she died at the claws of a ShadowClan warrior.” His sentences were brisk and clipped, and Mapleshade could tell that he was trying, with great difficulty, to stop his emotions from spilling over into his voice. “We weren’t mates officially, but I knew she always wanted to be. I… I was unsure.” Myler hesitated.

Mapleshade looked up and down the Thunderpath, then tested it with her paw for the vibrations of monsters. “Let’s cross,” she mewed curtly, beckoning with her fluffy tail. Myler seemed surprised but dashed after her when she darted over the rough black stone. Once they were on the other side, Mapleshade turned back to Myler. “What was her name?” she asked.

“Pebblesong,” Myler answered. He spoke quickly. “It was a long time ago. I was young and foolish and didn’t realize what I was doing. It was easy to impress her with the freedom and comfort of barn life. But she would have never left her Clan - that’s part of what drew me to her. It was another tom that told me about her death. Apparently, she’d asked him to inform me of her fate while she was dying. I never saw her body.” Myler sounded as if he were still grieving.

Mapleshade blinked. She knew Pebblesong. A tortoiseshell molly. They’d met at Gatherings and bonded over…  _ kits. _ Myler had just said that they had never been mates and if they’d had kits together he would have mentioned it. A sour story began to form in Mapleshade’s mind.

“I knew Pebblesong,” Mapleshade murmured as they walked. “We were queens at the same time.” Her amber gaze flicked to Myler, trying to gauge his reaction.

“ _ Queens? _ ” Myler stiffened. “We never- I never- Pebblesong never had kits!” he insisted, his tail lashing across the ground.

“I often saw her with a ginger tom,” Mapleshade wracked her brain, trying to remember. “Cloudblaze, I think? He interrupted our conversations a few times. He seemed very protective of her.” Mapleshade watched as Myler’s expression changed to confusion, then horror, then anger, which she’d never seen on him before.

“She had another tom’s kits,” Myler stopped on the rise and slumped down, his head hanging. “If I… if I think… it must have been… based on when you… she faked her death. She  _ faked _ her  _ death _ so that she didn’t have to tell me that she didn’t love me anymore.” He sounded… sad, and the same feeling that Mapleshade had felt when Icepaw had been at the barn stabbed at Mapleshade’s heart. She finally recognized it as the same as when she’d seen Appledusk with Reedshine…  _ jealousy. _

“If it helps, both Pebblesong and Cloudblaze stopped coming to Gatherings around the time that Pebblesong must have had her kits, which is normal,  _ but _ her Clanmates wouldn’t answer any of my questions,” Mapleshade put in, shifting her paws awkwardly. “Maybe something happened to her after all.  _ Something _ must have if she’s in StarClan.”

“I’ll ask Icepaw about them when she comes back to the barn,” Myler mewed, getting back to his paws. “She’s WindClan, after all.” Myler sighed dejectedly and started padding back to their home, leaving Mapleshade trailing after. She wished that she could answer more of Myler’s questions.

And she wished that she could make this jealousy go away. She wasn’t in love with Myler. She would never love again, not after what Appledusk had done to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Mapleshade, when will you realize that feeling jealous about your male companion's one night stand definitely means that you're in love with him? I really can't say...  
> Myler has no canon backstory which means I get to MAKE IT THE HECK UP which I am loving. Also Mapleshade has no canon parents or siblings so I get to MAKE THEM THE HECK UP as well which was pretty fun.  
> Fun fact! Thornflight, the cat I've inserted as Mapleshade's father, is actually my government-assigned Warriors sona from the official Warrior Cats website! I used to roleplay as him a bit on Discord and he ended up being a bit of a serial killer, so I guess it runs in the family XD


	8. Chapter 8

Mapleshade yawned and stretched out her paws, drinking in the familiar scents of the barn. Hay, stacked in piles around the clearing. Mice, running underneath the floorboards. Myler, still sleeping on the straw above her. Mapleshade sneezed as Myler’s tail, which was hanging over the edge of his nest, tickled her nose.

_ I guess I’m awake now, _ Mapleshade grumbled silently, standing up. The tortoiseshell-and-white molly clambered down from her nest and onto the wooden floor, arching her back in a proper stretch. With a sigh, she squinted against the bright sunlight and padded out onto the grass outside.

Mapleshade caught a glimpse of a cat alone on the moor and quickly recognized the white fur and light grey tabby markings of Icepaw, the WindClan apprentice that she’d befriended somehow.  _ Perfect. _ Mapleshade had been wanting to confront Icepaw for a while.

Icepaw sprinted over the hill towards Mapleshade, chattering like a sparrow as soon as she was within earshot. It had been a half-moon since they’d last seen each other, which explained Icepaw’s talkativeness.

“Mapleshade!” Icepaw cried, skidding to a halt. “Cloudspeckle had her kits - they’re so adorable - and Cypresspaw decided to become a warrior apprentice again! I’m not alone with Ravenpaw and Crouchpaw anymore!” Icepaw’s blue eyes were bright with excitement.

Mapleshade blinked. “Who’s Cypresspaw? And who’s Cloudspeckle?” she asked, looking down at the silver apprentice. Icepaw seemed bigger than the last time Mapleshade had seen her.

“Cypresspaw was Larkwing’s apprentice! He’s our medicine cat. And Cloudspeckle is one of our queens - her kits are named Hawkkit and Stormkit. Squirreltail is their father and Stormkit is named after Squirreltail’s brother, Stormblaze,” Icepaw explained quickly. Mapleshade’s head spun from all these new names. “Hawkkit is  _ so _ cute! I hope I get to mentor her when she’s made an apprentice - I’ll be a warrior by then. I only have two moons left in my training, after all. Oh, I wish you and Myler could come and visit my Clan!”

“Well, if you’re quite done talking my ear off,” Mapleshade grumbled, still tired. The sun hadn’t been up for very long and she would have been surprised if Icepaw had left after the dawn patrol. “I was surprised when you stayed away for so long - I would have thought that you’d want to see Myler sooner than this.”

  
“What’s  _ that _ supposed to mean?” Icepaw tilted her head as she looked up at the tortoiseshell she-cat. Her brow furrowed in confusion.

“It means that I’ve seen the way you look at him,” Mapleshade growled. “Are you hoping he’ll come with you to ‘visit’ WindClan and decide to stay? Or are you planning on coming to live here to be his mate?” Mapleshade lashed her tail, looming over the silver she-cat with intensity in her amber gaze. A wave of anger swept through her. How  _ dare _ Icepaw try to steal her only other friend in the world! Mapleshade spoke with conviction, knowing that every word was undeniably true.

Icepaw seemed shocked. “I’m not in love with  _ Myler! _ ” she insisted, fur bristling. “I like another cat, Mapleshade! Maybe instead of accusing me, you should think about how  _ you _ look at Myler as if he’s the sun and you can’t live without him! Any cat can see that you’re obsessed with that farm cat, Mapleshade!” She stuck her nose right up in Mapleshade’s face, a determined, fiery look on her snout.

Mapleshade recoiled as if Icepaw had slashed her across the nose. “How- how  _ dare _ you? Myler is my only friend, I’m not  _ in love _ with him!” Mapleshade replied, hissing profusely.

Icepaw’s face fell, hurt. “I guess  _ I _ don’t count as a friend, then,” the silver tabby spat, before turning and marching away over the hill. “I’ll come back when you’ve stopped throwing groundless accusations around, Maple!” Icepaw shouted over her shoulder, and then she was gone.

Mapleshade sighed and slumped down on the grass. She flicked her ears back and laid them against her head, letting her shoulders fall. She had thought that she had been right. Maybe she had been wrong. She’d been wrong before.

“Was that Icepaw?” Myler’s voice surprised her and she turned around, his white-and-black pelt stark against the landscape. “What were you two arguing about?” he asked, coming to stand beside Mapleshade.

“Toms,” Mapleshade answered curtly, curling her fluffy tail around her back paws. She refused to elaborate.

“Ah,” Myler nodded, settling himself on the grass next to Mapleshade. “I’ll just leave that to you she-cats, then. Not really one for discussing toms, me.” Myler frowned.

Mapleshade had to laugh. Myler was uncomfortable, but his words were amusing to her. “I’m sure you can gossip like any Clan elder, Myler,” the tortoiseshell replied, whiskers twitching.

“You’re not an elder!” Myler objected, twitching his tail-tip. “If Icepaw’s not coming back, then we should go back inside. I can smell a storm coming.” The black-and-white tom glanced up at the sky, which was void of clouds, but there were distant wisps on the horizon.

“Are you  _ sure _ that we’re not elders?” Mapleshade teased, flicking his shoulder with her fluffy tail. “Afraid that a little snow will seep into your nest and make your joints ache?” Mapleshade blinked. For the first time in moons, she thought about the ThunderClan elders. Was Rabbitfur still alive, pushy as ever? Was Wrentail snapping at the apprentices whenever she had a chance? Did Foxscar still insist on gathering his own moss?

“Can you hear me?” Myler waved his tail in front of her nose and she was tempted to bite it. “Mapleshade? You zoned out,” he informed her as if she hadn’t noticed.

“You’re right,” Mapleshade announced. “We shouldn’t stand around out here. Let’s go home,” the tortoiseshell blinked and fluffed out her fur against the sudden cool breeze that blew by her paws.

“I hope Icepaw comes back tomorrow,” Myler shot Mapleshade a glance and she ruffled indignantly. It wasn’t  _ her _ fault Icepaw had run back to WindClan. They’d  _ both _ quarrelled.  _ But I started it, _ Mapleshade thought dejectedly. She looked down at her paws. Maybe it  _ was _ her fault.

“Me too,” Mapleshade mumbled after a moment’s pause, letting Myler take the lead back to the barn. She trotted after the black-and-white tom, whiskers twitching. She could smell a storm as well, though not enough to concern her in the present.

Myler pushed the barn door open enough for both of them with his shoulder - the wind must have slid it shut. Mapleshade slipped in behind him and sighed, shaking out her ears and cheek fur. Myler clambered up to his nest, but Mapleshade climbed up into the loft and then into the rafters.

“I’m going to watch the storm roll in,” Mapleshade explained, to which Myler nodded. She pulled herself out through the hole in the shingles, settling herself neatly on the roof. It wasn’t much colder inside than outside - a sure sign of leaf-bare. It would be her first in the barn.

As Mapleshade watched throughout the afternoon, a tempestuous storm of snow and sleet drew in across the sky, driving her back inside the barn with its pummelling of cold and wet. Myler had already closed the barn door when she returned, to keep as much warmth inside as possible. They had tried to do some hunting to warm up - there were cracks below the barn walls that allowed bitter winds to bite at their greenleaf-thin fur - but to no avail.

“I think my whiskers are going to freeze off,” Mapleshade complained after finishing her mouse.

“Leaf-bare came early this year,” Myler noted, collecting their prey bones and disposing of them.

_ Thanks, _ Mapleshade thought dryly, _ I hadn’t noticed. _ “Do you have any ideas for keeping warm? This isn’t  _ your _ first leaf-bare in the barn, after all,” Mapleshade inquired calmly, the only hint of her annoyance a quick twitch of her tail-tip.

“I have one idea,” Myler suddenly dropped into what was probably supposed to be an attack crouch, bunching up his muscles to be ready to spring. “ThunderClan, attack!” the barn cat howled, taking advantage of Mapleshade’s surprise to land directly on her back, squishing her down and pinning her to the floor. “Aha! I have captured the beautiful ShadowClan warrior that was trespassing on my land! I think I should have to eat her!”

“Firstly, you had to pick  _ me _ to be the ShadowClan warrior?” Mapleshade mewed, humour in her gaze. She hadn’t played like this since she was a kit. “Secondly, Clan cats don’t eat other cats. Thirdly…”  _ Beautiful? _ Mapleshade hesitated. “There isn’t a third point.”

Myler sounded as if he were going to reply and Mapleshade felt his grip on her shoulders lessen. The tortoiseshell warrior stood up quickly, throwing him off her back with a yowl of, “Never drop your guard when fighting  _ ShadowClan! _ ” 

“That was a nasty trick, mange-pelt!” Myler cried, tumbling over his paws and scrambling to his feet. “I’ll make you regret it!” The black-and-white tom bounded back over to her and reared up on his hind paws, ready to slam down wherever she moved to.

_ But I’m not going to move, _ Mapleshade thought slyly, bunching the muscles in her hind legs. She feinted left and dove straight into Myler’s chest, knocking him down onto his back. He let out a yelp of surprise and she roared, “For ShadowClan!”

“I surrender!” Myler squeaked. “You can have ThunderClan’s territory! Oakstar is a weak and terrible leader and he’d just give it to you guys if you asked,” Mapleshade caught his blue gaze and realized that he was deliberately slamming the ThunderClan leader to make her feel better, while not insulting her birth Clan directly.

“Thirdly, Clan cats don’t just give up their territory over a border scuffle,” Mapleshade mewed good-humouredly, dropping her snarl and touching her nose to Myler’s. “Good fight, warrior.”

Myler purred, swishing his tail. “Thanks, Mapleshade,” he mewed. “Can you get off of me now?” Myler tilted his head and put on a pleading expression.

“Hm… no,” Mapleshade grinned, settling herself directly on Myler’s chest and refusing to budge. “You said you were cold, right?” she mewed.

“Mapleshade!” Myler battered at her with sheathed claws, trying to make her get off, but his efforts were half-hearted. “You’re crushing me.”

“I thought you were a big, strong ThunderClan warrior?” Mapleshade cocked her head, teasing. “Surely you can deal with a ShadowClan she-cat sitting on you?”

“Flea-pelt!” Myler shot back, snapping back into their game. He pushed upward in one hefty shove, planting his front paws in the middle of her chest and unbalancing her. Surprised, Mapleshade tumbled onto the floorboards, ducking into a side roll and leaping back onto her paws in a defensive stance.

But Myler wasn’t attacking. Instead, he was sprinting towards the hay at the other side of the barn, where their nests were. “You can’t catch me once I’m back in the ThunderClan camp!” Myler called over his shoulder, making a beeline for his nest.

Mapleshade growled and bolted after him, her paws thrumming on the wood. She unsheathed her claws simply to get a better grip on the boards, intending to sheath them again when she pounced. Myler touched the bottom of the hay and started to scramble up the side, away from Mapleshade. Mapleshade leapt after him, paws outstretched to grab onto his tail and pull him back down.

Mapleshade slammed right into the side of the haystack, sneezing as her nose clouded with dust. She staggered back, forehead scrunching in confusion.

“Missed me!” Myler waved his tail behind him. “I knew you were going to go for my tail, so I hid it! You taught me that - it’s a ThunderClan move, right?” Myler’s pride and happiness were contagious, and Mapleshade found herself smiling. She  _ had _ taught him the tail-hiding move. She’d learned it from her mentor in ThunderClan, Bloomheart.

Instead of replying, Mapleshade climbed up the haystack and jumped onto Myler’s back, squashing him down in his nest. She then sat up and started washing her ears, crushing the barn cat beneath her.

“Mapleshade!” Myler complained, muffled by the hay that was being pressed against his muzzle. “This is the ThunderClan camp, you can’t attack me here!” The black-and-white tom tried to twist beneath her, but she was heavier-set than he was.

“I don’t see any other ThunderClan cats,” Mapleshade replied innocently. “I can attack you anywhere I want if you don’t have any reinforcements. What’s to stop me?” The tortoiseshell’s mew was playful and light.

“That’s not fair!” Myler mewed. “Come on, Mapleshade…” Myler tried to crane his neck and look up at Mapleshade, but it was an awkward angle.

“Okay, fine,” Mapleshade sighed, then flopped off of Myler’s back and into the nest next to him, squashing him into the wall of his nest. She grinned.

“First you share my barn, now you share my nest?” Myler joked, batting at Mapleshade’s ear with one paw. Mapleshade purred.

“Are you complaining, Myler?” the tortoiseshell replied, tossing her fluffy tail over the edge to make more room. She was facing Myler in the nest, with their paws getting tangled in the middle.

“Not really,” Myler admitted sheepishly. Mapleshade noticed the tips of his ears turning red. “I mean, it  _ is _ getting colder, I’ll take all the warmth I can get, right?” Myler flicked his ears back so that she couldn’t see them anymore. “Because you’re warm. I mean, of course you are, you’re a cat, and cats have fur, and fur is warm…” Myler trailed off, glancing away.

“You’re acting weird,” Mapleshade commented, bopping Myler in the nose with one paw to get his attention. “Are you sick? Should I travel to WindClan and fetch Larkwing?” Mapleshade tilted her ears and leaned forward. There was no trace of the glaze in his eyes that usually came with sickness.

“No!” Myler shrunk back. “I’m fine, Mapleshade, really, I don’t need to see a medicine cat or anything,” the black-and-white tom insisted. “Leaf-bare’s only just upon us, it’d be embarrassing to get sick now.” He laughed nervously.

“Too right,” Mapleshade agreed, whiskers twitching. “Maybe you should get checked out anyway. I’m sure  _ Icepaw _ would convince Larkwing to take a look at you.” Mapleshade tried to gauge his reaction and see if perhaps he did have a thing for the silver apprentice.

“With her stubbornness, she definitely would,” Myler mewed. “Though stubbornness can swing either way. She’s got to be careful, that one.” The black-and-white tom looked up, thoughtful.

  
_ He doesn’t sound like a dopey snail. _ Mapleshade breathed a small sigh of relief. Myler wasn’t going to abandon her after all.


	9. Chapter 9

_ Mapleshade was swept along by the tumulting currents, watching again and again as her darling kits fought to stay afloat and failed. She tried to paddle to shore but was pulled back every time, cursed only to watch and fight for her safety, unable to help her children. Their cries haunted her dream. _

My fault. My fault. My fault. _ Mapleshade’s voice spiralled around her, the thoughts growing louder and louder. She took a gasping breath and was swept under, plunging deep into the freezing waves. _

_ Teeth pricked her scruff and she felt a current being whipped up by strong legs. A brown pelt, dashed with stars, flashed at the edge of her vision. Mapleshade tried to choke out his name, confused, but she was too waterlogged. _

_ Appledusk hauled the tortoiseshell she-cat to shore and lay her down on the bank. He felt no exhaustion, simply watching over her as she struggled to catch her breath and get back to her paws. Now that Mapleshade wasn’t being tortured by the river, its rapids calmed back to a steady stream. _

_ “Appledusk,” Mapleshade spat out. “Why did you save me?” But he wasn’t paying attention to her. Appledusk’s gaze was fixed on the other side of the river, and when Mapleshade looked up she was greeted by the unwelcome sight of the dark forest she had seen in nightmares - the Place of No Stars. Horrible, mangy cats with torn fur that showed bone and mouths that frothed with hunger and sickness prowled the opposite bank, spitting and growling at the StarClan warrior. _

_ “I saved you because I didn’t want one of  _ them _ to reach you first,” Appledusk answered simply, twitching his tail-tip towards the spirits. “I’m sure you don’t want to end up back there in your nightmares. I’ve never set paw there and I never want to.” The brown tom shivered dramatically. _

_ “Are you happy here?” Mapleshade asked suddenly, blinking amber eyes up at the StarClan warrior. _

_ “I’ve got my paws full with our kits,” Appledusk’s lips twitched into a tight smile. “I’d say that’s happiness. Even if the rest of the cats I love still live, I can watch over them from StarClan.” The brown tom started to pad away from the river and Mapleshade hurried after him. _

_ “Do you have any advice for me, o great and wise one?” Mapleshade asked. The first part was serious, the second sarcastic. _

_ Appledusk stopped to study his claws. He flicked a piece of leaf out from between two of them and looked back at Mapleshade. “Stop putting off your happiness for my sake,” Appledusk shrugged. “If I had known that you would take all of this to heart, perhaps I would have acted differently. But what’s done is done, so get on with your life and stop feeling guilty or betrayed or whatever, alright?” _

_ Mapleshade blinked. She wasn’t sure whether to take his advice or to snap at him. _

_ Appledusk glanced around. The StarClan forest was starting to slip away, signifying that Mapleshade was waking up. “Time for some final words, I suppose.” Appledusk pursed his lips. “I-I guess… I’m sorry, Mapleshade. For everything.” Appledusk waved his tail at her as the trees fell away. “Goodbye.” _

_ “Wait!” Mapleshade yowled, leaping forward. She was suddenly desperate to say the words that had caught on her tongue for so long. “I’m sorry, Appledusk! It’s my fault that our kits died - it’s my fault that  _ you _ died! It’s all my fault!” _

Mapleshade awoke with a start, her throat sore as if she’d really been screaming. Her nest smelled strange and she felt squashed. It took her a moment, but she realized that she wasn’t actually in  _ her _ nest. She must have fallen asleep while joking around with Myler yesterday.

Mapleshade tried to shift and found her paws tangled with Myler’s and one of her legs stuck under his flank. She must have kicked out in her sleep and got her paw caught. Myler was still slumbering peacefully, oblivious to Mapleshade trying to gently yank her paws out of his grasp. She struggled and almost got free, but Myler mumbled in his sleep and flopped over, trapping Mapleshade further and squashing her down into his nest.

Mapleshade sighed, resigned to waiting until Myler woke up. The tortoiseshell yawned, resting her head down on the feather-and-moss-lined straw and letting her eyes close. She didn’t try to sleep again, but simply relaxed and let her breathing slow. The smell of mice and straw filled her nose - the scents of her home.

“Mapleshade, wake up,” Myler murmured. He was standing, shaking her shoulders with a white paw. Mapleshade blinked open her amber eyes, realizing that she must have dozed. She rolled over and looked up at him.

“I’m up,” Mapleshade replied with a yawn. “You know, I tried to get up earlier, but you were  _ squashing _ me,” she complained, dramatically emphasizing her words. The tortoiseshell stretched out her paws and nearly took Myler off his feet with her leg, to which he jumped away and laughed.

“That’s what happens when you fall asleep in  _ my _ nest!” Myler teased. “I thought you’d learned your lesson after last time.” Myler climbed out of the nest, milling about on the haystack. He was referring to when he had left to visit ThunderClan and Mapleshade had slept in his nest in a futile effort to know when he came home.

Mapleshade squinted, catching a glimpse of something caught in the woven straw. It was a tuft of tortoiseshell fur, tucked into the side of the nest where Myler had been sleeping. She picked it out and sniffed it, tasting her stale scent.  _ This is  _ my _ fur! _ Mapleshade thought.  _ It’s the tuft Myler found in his nest after he came back from ThunderClan! _ “Myler…” she started.

“Let’s go for a run in the field!” Myler declared, leaping down from the haystack. “Get our  _ elder _ bones working and warm us up in the cold,” the black-and-white tom justified with a flick of his tail. “I want to see how much snow’s out there.”

Mapleshade quickly stowed the tuft of fur back in Myler’s nest and dashed down the haystack after the black-and-white tom, nearly losing her balance on the straw. She puffed up her tortoiseshell-and-white pelt and chased Myler out of the barn. Her paws crunched on the frost, which quickly turned to snow. A thin layer of snow covered everything that Mapleshade could see, and it only seemed to get deeper as she and Myler charged down the hill to the field.

Mapleshade darted through the stalks, weaving between the rows and following Myler’s bobbing tail-tip. Her breath came out in clouds, but the pounding of her paws against the ground kept her warm. Mapleshade let out a triumphant yowl as she and Myler shot out the other side of the field. She halted beside Myler, her chest heaving but her amber gaze alight with elation. She opened her jaws to speak but caught Myler looking away from her. She followed his gaze and saw the dark ginger face of a cat peering out through the frosted glass of the Twoleg farmhouse.

“The Twolegs found another stray,” Myler commented, glancing warningly at Mapleshade. “Do you want to go talk to him? I usually like talking to strays, but I don’t want you clawing his ears.” Myler flicked his tail.

Mapleshade bristled indignantly. “I won’t claw his ears, I promise,” she mewed. “Do you think the window is still open in the cold?” She recalled how Myler had spoken to her through a screen when she had been trapped inside the farmhouse.

“Probably not,” Myler answered as he started to pad towards the building. “I know another way in, though.” He glanced at her. “I didn’t tell you about it before because it would have strained your wound too much.”

Mapleshade self-consciously touched the jagged line across her throat. It was nice of him to think about her and realize that she would have insisted on using another way if he’d told her. “We’re going  _ inside? _ ” she asked, incredulous. “I thought we were just going to talk to him!”

“As you said, the window’s probably closed. The housefolk are out, though, so there’s no harm in going inside to have a chat,” Myler replied evenly. He led her around the side of the house to where the gutter drained and there was one small window by the top of the wall.

“How do you know that the Twolegs are out?” Mapleshade mewed, glancing around. She hadn’t seen them through the window, that was true, but that didn’t mean they weren’t inside.

“The monster’s gone and there were two sets of Twoleg footprints on the yard,” Myler said matter-of-factly. “Follow me.” The black-and-white tom scrambled up the bricks to where the roof came out from the side of the house. He nosed aside some straw that looked as if it had been stuffed into a hole by a bird and disappeared under the roof.

Mapleshade blinked, then raced up the wall after Myler. She found the hole that he had disappeared into, surprised by how small it was, but she knew she was just as skinny as Myler underneath her thick coat of tortoiseshell-and-white fur. She squeezed into the hole and instantly fell out the other side into a dark room. It reminded her of the loft in the barn, with rafters overhead and a wooden floor. There was Twoleg junk everywhere, thrown together into piles and stuffed into strange square nests.

“This is the attic,” Myler informed her from a corner of the room that seemed oddly brighter than the others. “The Twolegs hardly ever come up here - I think this is just where they store all their old things, in these boxes here,” he flicked his tail towards the square nests. “That’s why they’ve never patched up the hole. This crack leads down into the walls, and then there’s a hole behind one of the couches in the living room that we can squeeze in through.” He sounded as if he’d done this a hundred times, which he probably had.

Mapleshade followed Myler down into the squished space in the walls, feeling claustrophobic and not knowing which way was which. Myler’s tail brushed her nose and she found the pinprick of light, treading after him further down the wall to the hole. It was a tight fit, as was the other one, but after a push, she darted out from underneath the couch and into the Twoleg den. It felt bigger than the last time she’d been inside.

“Who are you? What are you doing in here? Are you kittypets?” a strange voice called from the other side of the room. Mapleshade turned to see the dark ginger tom she and Myler had seen in the window standing in the doorway. He was a tabby, with ginger stripes covering his pelt, and had a startlingly white tail. Mapleshade swore she recognized him from somewhere, but she couldn’t place him.

“I’m Myler and this is Maple.” Myler flicked his tail in her direction. Mapleshade swore she saw alarm flash in the ginger tom’s eyes when Myler named himself. “We live in the barn, not with the Twolegs. We came in to find out who  _ you _ are and what you’re doing in the farmhouse. Are you hurt?” Myler tipped his head to one side.

“I ate a poisoned mouse,” the ginger tom admitted. “I’m a loner from the other side of Highstones. I live there with my kits. I was exploring near here with my daughter when I felt the poison hit.”

“You know about Highstones?” Mapleshade interrupted. She had thought that only Clan cats called it that.

“O-of course,” the tom stammered. “Doesn’t everybody call it that?” His green eyes glinted warily.

Mapleshade exchanged a glance with Myler. “I guess so,” she muttered, remembering her promise not to claw anybody. She figured it applied to clawing with her words as well.

“Will you be staying long?” Myler asked breezily, sensing her unease.

“My daughter Winnie should be bringing my kin to rescue me, and I feel fine now,” the ginger tabby declared. “I’m, uh, Cloudy, by the way.” Cloudy curled his white tail around his back paws and Mapleshade assumed that he had been named for its colour and thickness.

“Nice to meet you, Cloudy,” Myler smiled. “We should be going. If Maple’s alright with it, maybe you could come to stay in the barn with us until your kin arrives?” Myler glanced at Mapleshade and she blinked.

“Thank you, but no,” Cloudy replied hurriedly. “They’ll come looking for me here, not in the barn. It’s best if I stay. Could I see how you get in and out, though, so that I can leave when Winnie arrives?” The ginger tom padded forward.

“I don’t see a problem with that,” Mapleshade mewed kindly. She didn’t want to pick a fight with this strange tom, even if he did itch at the corners of her mind as if he were a bit of wood that didn’t quite fit in the barn wall. He felt out of place, somehow.

“Follow us,” Myler mewed as he scrambled back under the couch to the hole in the wall. Mapleshade followed him in, then heard Cloudy come after. They padded along until they reached where Mapleshade and Myler had dropped down from the attic - in the tight space, Mapleshade wondered how they would get back up.

“I promise it’s easier than it looks,” Myler encouraged the other cats. The barn tom dug his claws into the soft material that lined the inside of the wall and started to climb, calling back down, “Make sure that at least one of your paws is on one of the wooden beams at all times!”

Mapleshade noticed that wooden planks indeed intersected the soft material, and with a gulp, she started to climb after Myler. Cloudy hesitated longer, but once Myler had squeezed out into the attic, he seemed to regain confidence and followed.

“The hole to the outside is up here,” Myler explained to Cloudy, climbing up a tower of boxes to the narrow opening. With the way that the roof lay, it was difficult to see from the inside as well, and Mapleshade wondered how he’d discovered it in the first place. “We’ll see you around, Cloudy. Maybe you could come and visit when your kin arrives? We’ll be wondering how you got on.”

Cloudy seemed unsure as he watched Mapleshade jump up the box piles. “Maybe,” he answered vaguely. “I wish you two good hunting.” He nodded respectfully and disappeared down the crack back into the rest of the farmhouse.

_ Good hunting? _ It reminded Mapleshade of the saying Clan cats had to wish spirits farewell on their way to StarClan - ‘May you find good hunting, swift running, and shelter when you sleep.’ She dismissed the thought. She was probably just being paranoid - she’d been far too suspicious since she left ThunderClan.

She met Myler back on the grass beside the farmhouse. They raced back to the barn in silence, both eager to warm their paws in their home. When they reached the inside, Myler heaved the barn door shut with a groan and a sigh.

“Cloudy was acting kind of suspicious, don’t you think?” Myler mewed tentatively, meeting Mapleshade in the middle of the barn.

Mapleshade let out a relieved sigh. “I’m glad it wasn’t just me,” she admitted. “Do you think he wants to be a kittypet?” Mapleshade joked, a smile playing at the edge of her lips.

“Maybe,” Myler answered, unconvinced. He looked thoughtful, gazing up at the rafters with bright blue eyes. “There’s something else - I swear I recognize him from somewhere.”

“I feel the same way! Maybe StarClan is trying to tell us something,” Mapleshade suggested, curling her tail-tip.

Myler looked as if he were going to add something, but his stomach growled and interrupted him. “I don’t know about StarClan, but my belly’s telling me to eat,” he mewed, looking over at Mapleshade.

“Well, come on, then,” Mapleshade replied, slowly making her way over to the other side of the barn. “Perhaps some hunting will clear our minds.”


	10. Chapter 10

The howling of a dog sent Mapleshade hurtling up to the roof, eager to figure out where the mutt was. Both barn cats had chased off dogs before, and if it was close to the barn they may have to attack this one as well. Myler dashed after her, sprinting over to the other side of the roof.

“Do you see it?” Mapleshade called, narrowing her amber eyes towards the farmhouse. She tilted her ears around, trying to pinpoint the dog’s whereabouts.

“No,” Myler replied, sweeping the moor with his gaze.

Then Mapleshade spotted the dark ginger pelt of Cloudy and the light brown pelt of an unfamiliar she-cat tearing across the grass behind the farmhouse, their movements frantic. The dog followed shortly after, a great black thing, and then a pretty ginger she-cat on the dog’s tail. Mapleshade also caught glimpses of a ginger tabby tom and a light grey tom hiding along the wall of the farmhouse, and she quickly realized that Cloudy’s kin must have come to rescue him and been surprised by a dog that had been set loose nearby. She didn’t recognize the dog, but she knew it was big and stupid like all mutts.

“It’s chasing Cloudy!” Mapleshade yowled, turning back towards Myler. Their eyes met and they agreed instantly - they couldn’t let any cat, no matter how suspicious and odd, get savaged by a dog.

“Let’s go,” Myler affirmed, diving back down into the barn. Mapleshade squeezed in, twisting her hackles, and landed neatly on a beam. She leapt down onto the loft and sprinted down the ladder, following Myler’s stark black-and-white pelt out onto the snow-covered field.

“I’ll head it off and let Cloudy and the other cats escape!” Mapleshade yelled. “Once they’re safe, help me confuse it!” She received a short nod from Myler and took off running, her paws crunching through the snow. Once she was aligned properly, Mapleshade shot through the gap between Cloudy’s white tail and the dog’s slobbering maw, lashing out at the brute’s nose with her claws as she did so. The dog slowed down, confused, then turned and bolted after Mapleshade.

“What are you  _ doing? _ ” Cloudy screeched, skidding to a halt.

“Cloudy! Bring your cats in here!” Mapleshade heard Myler’s voice and knew that he would be there to help her soon. The tortoiseshell charged across the grass, heading towards the Thunderpath, then made a sharp turn and charged right back at the dog. It was stunned and she was able to dash right past it before it started to chase her again. The Twolegs that brought the dog would be somewhere nearby - she just needed to get it back to them.

“They’re all inside!” Myler yowled. “Mapleshade, I’m coming!” She didn’t dare look back; she could feel the dog’s hot breath on her tail.

Then Mapleshade heard a hiss of pain and a growl of fury and she slowed. Myler had sunk his teeth into the dog’s tail and it had turned its beady eyes on him instead of her.

“Let’s send this brute yowling back to its Twolegs,” Mapleshade spat, unsheathing her claws and slashing the dog’s shoulder. She leapt back as it turned back to her, but it was distracted again by Myler driving his claws into its flank. Mapleshade jumped with both forepaws stretched out and caught the dog across the snout and under its eye. The dog howled in pain and shook the two cats off before charging away towards the forest.

“I didn’t see any injuries on Cloudy’s cats,” Myler informed the tortoiseshell, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. “I’m fine. Are you okay?” His blue eyes narrowed in concern, checking over Mapleshade.

“Just winded,” Mapleshade managed a small reassuring smile while she was panting. “Let’s go check on them. That brown cat looked as if she’d never even seen a dog before!”

Myler huffed a laugh at her joke and turned away, heading back towards the barn. Mapleshade followed him, her muscles aching from the run. The adrenaline of fleeing the dog was starting to wear off, making her eyelids droop.

“You saved us!” the light brown she-cat, whom Mapleshade assumed was one of Cloudy’s kits, exclaimed as Mapleshade and Myler approached the barn. Mapleshade could see now that her pelt was speckled with darker brown spots as well. “I’m Winnie. We don’t have many dogs where we live.”

“It was no bother,” Myler mewed, letting Mapleshade brush past him into the barn. A light ginger she-cat and a ginger tom with a white belly were conversing in hushed voices by one of the haystacks, while a light grey tom with large white spots was curled up on the floorboards. Cloudy was standing by himself, looking uneasy as he studied the barn.

“This is Dixie,” Winnie flicked her tail at the other she-cat, “Flicker,” then the ginger tabby tom, “and Pounce,” and finally the light grey tom. “And I think you already know our father.” Winnie gestured to Cloudy with a paw.

“I’ve never seen a cat take on a dog like that!” Pounce mewed, eyes wide. “I thought you two were going to get shredded for  _ sure! _ ” His tail twitched nervously and he curled in his toes, expressing terror.

“I’m Myler, and this is Maple,” Myler mewed, gesturing to himself and Mapleshade. “We met Cloudy just a few days ago when he was trapped in the farmhouse. We offered to help him escape, but he said he’d rather wait for you four.” Myler nodded to the gathered cats.

“If you’d left with them and waited for us here, we wouldn’t have been chased by the dog,” Flicker pointed out curtly, his eyes narrowing in a challenge. Mapleshade realized instantly that Flicker didn’t like his father very much, based on the obvious hostility between them.

“You wouldn’t have known I was here,” Cloudy replied evenly, the lashing of his white tail betraying his anger. “If I’d known there would be a dog, I would have made a different decision!”

“Calm down,” Dixie placed her paw on Flicker’s chest and Winnie moved to reassure her father. “We survived, right? Thanks to these kind barn cats.” The pretty ginger she-cat glanced shyly at Mapleshade and Myler.

Mapleshade shifted uncomfortably. It wasn’t a big deal. “You must be shaken up,” she mewed. “You’re welcome to rest here until you’re ready to make the journey back to your home.” Mapleshade looked over at Myler, who nodded.

“That’s right,” Myler said. “Make yourselves at home. Maplesha- Maple, would you organize some hunting?” The black-and-white tom dipped his head to Mapleshade, who nodded.

Mapleshade quickly checked over the cats in the barn. Flicker had been hiding from the dog and it would be best if he worked out his frustrations on fresh-kill instead of his father. Pounce seemed too rattled to be much use hunting, and Winnie was speaking softly to Cloudy. Dixie was eager, bouncing on her paws, and Mapleshade recalled that she had been actually chasing the dog earlier.

“Flicker, Dixie, will you hunt with me?” Mapleshade asked, flicking her fluffy tail. “There should be mice under the loft.” Her amber eyes trailed over the ginger cats.

“I’d love to!” Dixie purred, bounding over to meet the tortoiseshell. Her amber eyes were bright, her smile creasing their edges. Flicker grunted and followed his sister, padding after Mapleshade as she led them underneath the loft.

Soon, the three cats had created a small fresh-kill pile in the middle of the barn. Cloudy took a mouse and retreated into the furthest corner of the barn, and Flicker did much the same on the other side. Dixie, Winnie, and Pounce, however, stayed with Myler and Mapleshade.

Dixie seated herself next to Mapleshade, a mouse held in her jaws. The light ginger she-cat dropped the mouse and mewed, “Would you like to share?”

Myler appeared on Mapleshade’s other side, placing his mouse on the ground. “I was about to ask the same thing,” he commented tersely. “Maple?”

Mapleshade hesitated. She didn’t understand the sudden thickness in the air as Dixie and Myler stared at each other. “I think… I think I’ll share with Dixie, okay, Myler?” Mapleshade looked up at the black-and-white tom, who was still standing. “We share fresh-kill all the time and Dixie will be leaving soon.”

“Fine,” Myler mewed, flicking his tail and picking up his mouse again. He moved away, sitting near the base of the haystack where he and Mapleshade had their nests.

“Who made dirt in  _ his _ fresh-kill?” Dixie blinked, her amber gaze holding as much confusion as Mapleshade’s. “Is he your mate, Maple?” She leaned over and took a small bite of the fresh-kill as she waited for Mapleshade to reply.

The tortoiseshell shook her head. “No, we’re just friends,” Mapleshade mewed, ignoring the uncomfortable prickle under her fur. “Do you have a mate, Dixie?” Mapleshade accepted the fresh-kill as it was passed to her and took a piece.

“Oh, no, not yet,” Dixie smiled sheepishly, leaning closer to Mapleshade. “I wish I did, though, so that I didn’t have to live in that hole on the other side of Highstones with all of my siblings.” She blinked up at Mapleshade as if there was some secret message that Mapleshade was supposed to be getting. Mapleshade wasn’t getting it.

“Good luck with that,” Mapleshade replied awkwardly, shifting away from the light ginger she-cat. Mapleshade took a big bite of fresh-kill and passed it back to Dixie, telling her, “You can have the rest.”

As Dixie nodded thanks, Cloudy padded back into the centre of the barn. “We need to go,” he announced, to which nobody seemed content.

“What’s the rush?” Winnie mewed lazily, curling her tail around her brother, Pounce. “I’d be willing to stay as long as Maple and Myler are willing to have us.” The brown she-cat nodded to Myler.

“You’re welcome to stay for a little while, it’s nice having other cats around,” Myler confirmed, and Mapleshade nodded in agreement. She enjoyed Myler’s company, but the presence of new cats was refreshing.

“I’d like to stay,” Dixie piped up, licking bits of fresh-kill from her whiskers. “Maple is very nice.” She glanced over at the tortoiseshell, who thought,  _ I am? _

“Yeah, Cloudblaze, we should stick around for a bit,” Flicker called from the corner, flicking his tail as he lay down and folded his paws.

Cloudy stiffened as Myler exclaimed, “ _ Cloudblaze? _ ” 

“I, er, it’s… complicated…” Cloudy- no,  _ Cloudblaze _ , stammered. “I just really, really didn’t want to get clawed. I paid enough prices for my stupidity already.”

Myler narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?” he asked, flicking his tail to the side.

“Maybe we should talk about this privately,” Cloudblaze glanced around at his kits.

“No, I want to hear what you’re going to say,” Flicker mewed, seeming amused. Pounce looked worried but nodded in agreement.

“Pebblesong wasn’t dead. I lied to you,” Cloudblaze blurted, looking directly at Myler. “I thought it would be best! She was furious with me and ran away from WindClan. It took me nearly a quarter moon to find her, and when I did, she was on the verge of death and had these four. I didn’t want- I tried to go back to WindClan, but the kits couldn’t leave Twolegplace yet, and I… I was too ashamed and scared.” The dark ginger tom hung his head.

“Mouse-heart,” Mapleshade hissed, the fur on her shoulders bristling. “Myler would have accepted the truth. You betrayed a kind, welcoming, open cat because you wanted what? An  _ easy _ letdown?”

Myler didn’t say anything. He looked down at his paws and got up, padding towards the barn door. He left quickly and slammed it shut behind him. Mapleshade, still fuming, felt Dixie lay her tail over the tortoiseshell’s back. She appreciated the gesture.

Cloudblaze mumbled something and fled to the far corner, where he curled up away from everybody else. Mapleshade sighed.

“It’ll be okay,” Dixie murmured.

“Will it, Dixie?” Mapleshade asked, looking up at the loner.

Dixie didn’t reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWENTY THOUSAND WORDS, WOOHOO!!!  
> And Dixie has a huge gay crush on Mapleshade and Mapleshade is completely oblivious. Really just trying to throw as many wrenches in as I can, am I not?


	11. Chapter 11

“Myler?” Mapleshade hearkened, padding up to stand beside the black-and-white tom on the edge of the roof. “We need to talk.” She sat down, curling her fluffy tail over her paws and looking over at Myler.

“I know,” Myler murmured, hanging his head. “I’m being such a mouse-heart.” He sighed. “I know I should forgive Cloudblaze… everything was so long ago, after all. But it’s just…”

Mapleshade placed her paw on his shoulder. “I understand,” she mewed. “But while he’s still here, you should apologize. Even if you don’t mean it yet, better to have that conversation now than regretting not having it when he’s back over the mountains.” Mapleshade felt odd, consoling the barn cat like this. Nobody had ever comforted her during her struggles.  _ Maybe that was my fault. _

“I suppose you’re right, Mapleshade,” Myler replied, looking over at her with huge, round blue eyes. Mapleshade realized at that moment that perhaps if she’d had a friend like Myler all along, many cats would have kept their lives. A friend? The word didn’t seem to fit what the barn cat meant to her. “I’ll go speak to him.” Myler fluffed out his pelt and raised his chin.

“Right now?” Mapleshade blinked her amber eyes, surprised.

“It seems just as good a time as any,” a small smile graced Myler’s lips as he spoke. “Thank you, Mapleshade.” Then, to Mapleshade’s complete and utter surprise, he padded towards her and pressed his nose into her cheek. When he drew back, he was smiling from ear to ear. “Wish me luck,” he said.

Stunned, Mapleshade managed to stammer, “Y-yeah, good luck, Myler,” before the black-and-white tom disappeared back into the barn. She turned back to the view of the forest, ruffling up her tortoiseshell fur against the bitter wind that started to bite at her flanks. The water in the gutter had almost completely frozen solid at this point, to Mapleshade’s disappointment.

Mapleshade’s thoughts wandered. It was the first leaf-bare that she had seen outside of ThunderClan territory. She could imagine it so vividly - the frost lacing the brambles and the tips of each den, the glittering surfaces of the Sunningrocks, the towering oak trees with barely a leaf to be seen, and the apprentices who had never seen snow before easily catching a chill. The new medicine cat, whoever it was, would have their paws full. She wondered how much had changed - it had easily been a season, who knows how much longer than that, since she had left. Nettlepaw probably had his warrior name by now, and Tigerfoot and Lakewing’s kits would have been apprentice age last moon. It was eerie to think of life going on without her.

“Maple?” a soft voice chimed, tearing Mapleshade from her thoughts. Dixie had sat down next to her, her light ginger pelt lightly glittering in the sunlight. Dixie noticed Mapleshade’s expression and quickly added, “I’m sorry for disturbing you.”

“No, no, it’s alright,” Mapleshade insisted, shaking her head. “And please, er, call me Mapleshade.” She and Myler had only agreed to keep her full name secret from cats with close connections to the Clans - Cloudblaze hadn’t been back to the Clans in moons, and his kits had never seen them. They were trustworthy.

“Okay, Mapleshade,” Dixie grinned mischievously. “Maybe I should add something to the end of  _ my _ name, too! Dixiestorm sounds cool, don’t you think?” Mapleshade was relieved that she didn’t press the subject too hard.

“I’d name you Dixietuft because you’ve always got your fur sticking out at weird angles,” Mapleshade replied in the same joking manner, reaching up to flatten down a bit of fur on top of Dixie’s head. It proceeded to stick right back up again, proving Mapleshade’s point and making both she-cats giggle. “Or Dixienose, because you’ve got a nose for prey  _ and _ mischief!” Mapleshade poked Dixie’s nose, dissolving the ginger she-cat into full-blown laughter.

“How’d you get  _ your _ name, Mapleshade?” Dixie asked swiftly while attempting to get her giggles under control.

Mapleshade turned slightly, displaying the tortoiseshell pattern of black, white, and red-brown on her back. “My fur reflects the pattern that maple leaves make when the sun is highest,” she answered matter-of-factly. “Thus, maple- for my red patches and -shade for my pelt that looks as if I’m always dappled with shadows.”

Dixie’s mouth closed into an ‘o’ shape. “What name would you give Myler?” she tapped her chin thoughtfully. Mapleshade could tell that she had more questions but didn’t want to ask them.

“Mylerheart,” Mapleshade answered instantly. “He’s sweet, kind, caring, and loyal. Or Mylerspots, I guess, for his fur.” She bit her lip self-consciously as she thought. Perhaps she’d answered  _ too _ quickly.

“Fair enough,” Dixie shrugged. “You seem to like Myler a lot,” she observed, leaning towards Mapleshade.

“He helped me when nobody else would,” Mapleshade mewed sincerely. “I owe him my life, truthfully.” Her thoughts flashed back to that first day in the barn when Myler had discovered her bleeding out in his loft and fetched the farm Twolegs to help her. It had taken her a long time to accept his and the Twolegs’ help. Mapleshade suddenly felt an urge to explain further, reaching up to touch the scar across her neck. She doubted that the fur there would ever grow back. “I was wounded here, to an extent that no cat could fix. Myler brought Twolegs to come and help me, and a medicine Twoleg healed me. Once I was well again, I escaped the Twolegs and came to live here with Myler, because I had nowhere else to go.” Every single word was the truth, and it felt good to speak honestly and openly with Dixie.

“I suppose nobody can beat that,” Dixie said, turning away. Mapleshade caught a bitter reproach in her mew, with a hint of jealousy. Was Dixie jealous of Myler?  _ Why? _ “You know, Mapleshade, my family is leaving soon. Tomorrow at the latest. I was hoping that you would come with us… or perhaps let me stay here… or go on a journey with me… but I see now that you’ll never leave Myler. It was foolish of me to hope.”

“I’m sorry, Dixie,” Mapleshade blinked. “Your place is with your family.”  _ Would you still like me if you knew what I’ve done? If you knew how many cats have died needlessly under my claws? _ “You’ll find somebody else, some cat closer to your age. You have your father and your siblings still. Myler only has me.”

“I know,” Dixie sighed. “I’d like to see you again one day, Mapleshade. I’ll come back when I’m older and Cloudblaze will let me travel on my own.” She smiled wistfully, gazing over the treetops as if she could see the future stretching out before her. Mapleshade was envious of her innocence and youthfulness.

“I’d like that as well,” Mapleshade glanced down at her paws, feeling slightly awkward. “I’m getting cold. I’ll slip back inside. Feel free to stay out here, though.” She uncurled her tail and got up with a curt nod to Dixie.

“I think I will stay,” Dixie decided. “If I can never go into the forest, I’ll content myself with looking at it for a while longer.” Should Mapleshade tell her what the forest was like?  _ No. _ It would only lead to questions with terrible, dark answers.

“Don’t catch a chill,” Mapleshade warned, which made Dixie laugh. “What? We don’t exactly have a medicine cat out here, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“I’ve survived the cold season before,” Dixie flashed Mapleshade a grin. “I know how to handle myself, Mapleshade.”

“I never said you didn’t,” Mapleshade replied evenly, before gently padding to the hole in the roof that led back down into the barn. She squeezed herself through it, finding it more difficult than usual with her extra fur growing in. Then Mapleshade thumped down into the rafters and climbed onto the loft.

Mapleshade could see Cloudblaze and Myler deep in conversation, just outside the barn doors. Winnie, Pounce, and Flicker were drowning out the sounds of their speech with a rowdy song that offended Mapleshade’s ears in a way that she didn’t think was possible. None of the cats seemed able to hold a tune.

“Fresh-kill, Maple?” Winnie prompted, holding up a skinny mouse. Mapleshade smiled and was instantly almost hit in the face with the prey, which narrowly missed her by a paw-length and skidded across the barn floor. “Oops, sorry!”

“Didn’t your father ever teach you to respect your prey?” Mapleshade mewed with a hint of humour in her voice, turning around to go after the mouse. She picked it up in her jaws and carried it over to her nest, in which she curled up and yawned. Flicker and Pounce finished their song and Mapleshade was all too relieved.

“Prey’s meant to be eaten, not played with,” Flicker snapped at his sister, who dropped her gaze to the ground. “Or don’t you care about staying alive?”

“I care, Flicker! You don’t need to reside over me all the time!” Winnie rebuked. Mapleshade sighed. She was ready for Flicker to go home. He caused nothing but trouble and infighting between the siblings and their father.

Pounce seemed uneager to join the argument, fleeing to another haystack and disappearing behind it. Mapleshade could empathize.

Sometime later, Myler found Mapleshade in her nest. “Cloudblaze and his kits are leaving,” he mewed. “We mended things, but he thought it was best if they were on their way.”

Mapleshade got up. “I’ll come to say goodbye,” she declared, before following Myler down the haystack.

Dixie gave Mapleshade a regretful smile as she approached. “Remember what I said,” the ginger she-cat dipped her head. “This won’t be goodbye forever.”

“May you find good hunting, swift running, and shelter where you sleep,” Mapleshade said, both to Dixie and the group as a whole. “It was nice hosting you here for a short time.”

“We’ll watch out for more dogs,” Cloudblaze promised. He nodded curtly to Myler, who returned the gesture, and turned away, leading his cats out of the barn with a flick of his tail.

“Thank you!” Winnie cried as they left, and Dixie nodded along with her. Mapleshade and Myler watched from the barn door as the five cats started towards the Thunderpath. They quickly disappeared over the rise, and Myler shut the door with a sigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for a while!  
> Uhh this chapter was kind of filler, sorry, Icepaw will show up again next chapter and we'll get the plot going again :D


	12. Chapter 12

Mapleshade was surprised when Myler woke her up to a full fresh-kill pile (one plump mouse, easily filling both of them) and proceeded to take her around the entire farm. It felt special, like Myler was trying to work up the courage for something, and when sunhigh was starting to creep closer, she finally found out what it was.

Myler escorted Mapleshade to the roof of the barn, where he told her to sit down and wait for him to get back. She did, becoming increasingly more curious. Mapleshade had half a mind to simply follow him, but she didn’t think he was doing anything bad. If he wanted to surprise her, so be it.

“Mapleshade! Close your eyes,” Myler called, his voice sounding slightly muffled like he was carrying something in his jaws. Mapleshade did as she was asked.

“I hope this is all worth it,” Mapleshade mewed with a spot of humour, trying to pinpoint where the rustling of fur was coming from.

When Myler spoke again, it was from right beside her. “Okay, you can open them,” Myler directed, sounding ever so slightly anxious.

Mapleshade opened her eyes, surprised to see a small selection of slightly wilted flowers at her paws. She picked up a blue one and brought it to her nose. “Myler… where did you get these? It’s leaf-bare!” Mapleshade murmured.

“That can be my little secret,” Myler replied with a wink. “Do you like them?”

“I do,” Mapleshade answered honestly. Even Appledusk had never brought her presents. She swallowed down a lump of anxiety and mewed, “What is all this for, Myler? Catching prey for me, taking me around the farm, giving me presents… it’s a bit unusual. Are you…” her voice caught in her throat. “Are you saying goodbye?”

Myler was shocked. “No!” he objected, leaning towards Mapleshade. “No, I don’t want you to leave! And I’m not leaving either! Mapleshade, I’m doing all this because-” his voice broke and he looked down at his paws. Then he grabbed Mapleshade’s front paws in his, looked directly into her amber eyes with intense, passionate sincerity in his blue gaze, and declared, “Mapleshade, I’m doing this because I love you!” When she didn’t say anything, too stunned, he went on weakly, “And… I wanted to ask y-you… t-to be my mate… if you f-felt the same…”

“Myler, I…” Mapleshade started. She couldn’t find the words. No words seemed able to describe the aching in her heart and the happy jump it had given when he’d grabbed her paws. “I need some time to think, Myler. I’m sorry.”

And Mapleshade fled from the roof with tears in her eyes.

She slept under the front steps of the farmhouse, where there was a hole just big enough for one cat. Myler didn’t know about it - she’d discovered it by accident. Mapleshade felt weak and tired, even though she’d had a full night’s rest. In her dreams, she walked among the stars for the first time in moons.

_ “You are still too stubborn for your own good, my dear,” Mapleshade’s mother mewed. They were in the ThunderClan camp, though Mapleshade barely recognized it. Most of it appeared to have been destroyed and then rebuilt. The clearing was void of cats except for Mapleshade and Tansynose. _

_ “Tell me what I should do, Mother,” Mapleshade begged, a silver tear trailing down her cheek. “I don’t know if I’m ready for love again. I don’t even know if I love him.” Mapleshade felt like a kit again, demanding answers from her parents about why the sky was blue or why the trees grew so tall. _

_ “You started having your own life seasons ago,” Tansynose replied. “It would be impossible for me to give you the right advice now. Your destiny is not in the paws of StarClan,” Tansynose reached out and took Mapleshade’s paws, “but in your own.” _

_ “That doesn’t help!” Mapleshade yowled, tearing her paws out of her mother’s grip. “Do I love him or do I not? After Appledusk I-” her breathing was coming in short gasps as she started to panic. Mapleshade remembered the night in the river, paddling desperately for shore as the bitterly cold water threatened to drag her down. She felt like she was drowning again. _

_ “Mapleshade!” Tansynose reached out and grabbed her daughter’s cheeks, steadying her. “Calm down. Your heart knows what the right answer is.” Tansynose moved one paw to Mapleshade’s chest, and Mapleshade knew her mother could feel the hammering of her daughter’s heart through the thick fur. _

_ “I just want a clear answer,” Mapleshade mumbled. “Can’t you help me?” _

_ Tansynose paused, then sighed. “Your head is making everything muddled, confusing you. You need to take a step back and look with another pair of eyes. In fact, I think another pair of eyes is coming along now.” Tansynose padded away from Mapleshade, across the clearing to the break in the gorse barrier. _

_ “Another pair of eyes? Coming along?” Mapleshade repeated, confused. “Tansynose? Tansynose, come back!” she bounded after her mother, but found herself unable to follow through the tunnel. “Mother!  _ Mother!”

Mapleshade didn’t know if it had been her yowling that had woken her up or the screeching and hissing of cats outside. She scrambled from her hiding place, ready to fight. Then she hesitated, taking in the scene.

A WindClan patrol was fighting a badger just outside the WindClan border. In the fray, Mapleshade saw a small silver pelt, easily identifiable as Icepaw. Myler was nowhere to be seen. She didn’t know whether to help or leave them be.

If it had been a few seasons earlier, she would have scoffed and turned away, letting Clan cats deal with their own problems. But the WindClan patrol was losing, as there were only three cats against the badger, and Mapleshade knew it could kill them if she didn’t do something.

Mapleshade charged down the hill towards the WindClan patrol and the badger. She crouched down and in one great leap, landed squarely on the badger’s back. Mapleshade unsheathed her claws and dug them in deep.

“Maple! What are you doing here?” Icepaw yowled, scratching her claws across the badger’s nose. Midgepelt glared at Icepaw and landed a bite on the badger’s foreleg.

“Helping  _ you! _ ” Mapleshade hissed, struggling to hang on as the badger thrashed. She howled as she flew free, tumbling into the snow near the unfamiliar WindClan warrior.

“Loners don’t fight badgers,” Midgepelt spat at her, but Mapleshade gritted her teeth and ignored him. She landed a neat swipe on the badger’s ear, but her side was caught by the badger’s claws as it lumbered forwards.

“Mapleshade!” Myler yelped, appearing out of nowhere to attack the badger’s flank. “This is mouse-brained!”

“We have to drive this badger out of WindClan territory!” Icepaw screeched, flinging herself against the badger’s shoulder and biting down with full force.

“It’s already over the scent marks!” Mapleshade joined Icepaw and Myler, clawing ferociously at the badger’s other flank while it tried to dispose of Icepaw.

Midgepelt and the other warrior exchanged blows on the badger’s snout, keeping it distracted until it finally let out a roar. “Get back!” Midgepelt howled, and Myler, Mapleshade, and Icepaw fell away.

The badger charged past Myler towards the barn, and Mapleshade was initially worried that it would try to get inside, but it didn’t seem to notice the building and instead headed for the Thunderpath. Icepaw whooped in celebration.

“We didn’t need your help,” Midgepelt grumbled, the fur on his shoulders ruffling.

“The badger was threatening their territory, too,” the unnamed warrior, a light brown she-cat, reminded him. “Better for all five of us to fight together than for any of us to lose alone.” She gazed over at Myler and Mapleshade. “I’m Tumbleflower, by the way. Thank you for helping us.”

_ Tumbleflower. _ The name seemed familiar. Icepaw had mentioned her before. Mapleshade dipped her head respectfully to Tumbleflower and Icepaw. Then she staggered, noticing scarlet drops scattered across the snow.

“Maple!” Icepaw raced towards her, pressing a paw against her side where the badger had hurt her earlier. In the heat of battle, she had barely noticed it. Now it started to sting furiously. Myler looked faint.

“She needs to see a medicine cat,” Tumbleflower mewed, her eyes dark with worry. “Can you walk, Maple?” Mapleshade felt Myler press against her other side, holding her up.

“I think so,” Mapleshade mumbled. “How far?” She took a few hesitant steps, grateful when Icepaw supported her as well as Myler.

“Not far,” Tumbleflower answered. She didn’t even look at Midgepelt as she started to guide them to the moor.

“Hang on, who’s in charge of this patrol?” Midgepelt demanded. “You can’t just-”

“Maple helped us fight the badger at her own risk, and now she’s suffering for it. Larkwing can help her. You have no right to deny her help,” Tumbleflower lifted her chin. Midgepelt didn’t look happy about it, but he didn’t protest further.

Mapleshade felt her eyes starting to droop, pain splitting through her side with every step, but Myler and Icepaw made sure to keep her awake.

“Come on, not far now,” Myler murmured in her ear. “You can do it. Once we get there you can rest. Come on. You’re going to be okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quarantine = short chapter + large delay between chapters  
> Myler finally speaks up!! Oh my gosh this slowburn is actually killing me  
> Poor Mapleshade... :(


	13. Chapter 13

“You need to rest,” Myler insisted, nosing Mapleshade back down into the nest.

“I want to see Icepaw’s warrior ceremony,” Mapleshade replied stubbornly, trying to shoulder past him. “You can’t stop me, Myler.”

Smallstar had deemed that the fight against the badger and her compassion for Mapleshade had proven that Icepaw was ready for her warrior name, and the ceremony was to be held at sunhigh.  _ Myler’s going, _ Mapleshade thought.  _ It’s just outside the den, so I don’t see why I can’t. _

“Let her go,” Larkwing mewed, padding over from where she had been sorting herbs on the other side of the den. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”

“Surely you know better than to argue with a medicine cat, Myler?” Mapleshade teased, nudging his ear with ner nose. “I’ll be fine. It wasn’t a deep wound.” Mapleshade glanced at Larkwing.

Larkwing nodded. “Maple was lucky. The bleeding stopped pretty quickly once I got enough cobwebs on it.” The medicine cat flashed Mapleshade a sly smile. “Besides, I’m sure Icepaw would like both of her loner friends at the ceremony.”

Mapleshade narrowed her eyes. How much did Larkwing know? A sudden pang of terror shot through her. What if Larkwing recognized her as a ThunderClan cat?

“Oh, don’t look so alarmed,” Larkwing went on hurriedly. “Icepaw isn’t the sneakiest cat, you know. Cypresspaw found out about her expeditions and accidentally let it slip to me while she was still my apprentice. I didn’t think Icepaw was doing any harm, so I kept it quiet. It’s nice to finally meet you two.” Larkwing glanced from Myler to Mapleshade. “Are you mates?”

Myler and Mapleshade exchanged an awkward look. “No,” Mapleshade answered quickly, while Myler stammered and turned red.  _ Myler wishes that we were, though, _ Mapleshade added silently. She still didn’t know what to tell him. For now, she was avoiding being alone with the barn cat.

Larkwing didn’t press the subject. “Smallstar will be gathering the Clan soon, better get ready,” she mewed, nudging Myler out of her den. “Go reassure Icepaw, Myler. I want to talk to Maple.”

Mapleshade gulped as Myler hesitated, then darted out into the clearing of the WindClan camp.

“So,” Larkwing started, sitting down next to Mapleshade. Mapleshade’s heart was pounding out of her chest. “What’s up with the handsome farm cat?”

Mapleshade breathed a sigh of relief, then realized that Larkwing was looking at her expectantly. “Er- he confessed his love to me this morning and I… may have panicked. I ran away,” she admitted.

Larkwing smiled kindly. “Why did you panic?” she asked.

Mapleshade hesitated. “I had a… a bad experience with a mate in the past. It destroyed me. I don’t think I’m ready for another one, even if I… even if I…” Mapleshade blushed.

“Even if you what?” Larkwing prompted.

“Even if I… think I might love him too,” Mapleshade breathed. It was quiet enough in the den to hear a fly’s footsteps as Mapleshade and Larkwing took a collective pause.

Larkwing placed a paw on Mapleshade’s shoulder. “That’s understandable, Maple. Just tell him that you need some time, or that you’re not ready for the commitment yet. Everything will sort itself out.” Larkwing looked at Mapleshade with sympathy. “Moving on from a first mate can be difficult. I’ve seen it time and time again in WindClan. Especially when your first mate hurts you, say by… rejecting you or cheating on you with another cat.”

Mapleshade stiffened but tried to act as if Larkwing’s words hadn’t affected her. Did the medicine cat suspect her true identity? Probably. “I-I’ll do that, Larkwing, thank you,” Mapleshade mewed.

Larkwing got up and padded to the entrance of the den. “Smallstar’s calling a Clan meeting. It’s time,” she said. “Come on.”

Mapleshade followed her, stubbornly ignoring the pain in her side. She missed a few opening words that Smallstar was speaking to the Clan, but she managed to tune in once Midgepelt stepped back and left Icepaw alone in the centre of the clearing.

“I, Smallstar, leader of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn.” Smallstar regarded Icepaw, pausing briefly. “Icepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

“I do,” Icepaw answered.

“Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Icepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Icefall. StarClan honours your compassion and enthusiasm, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan.” Smallstar placed her muzzle on Icefall’s head, to which Icefall then licked Smallstar’s shoulder.

“Icefall!” Mapleshade yowled, joining the Clan’s joyous caterwauling. “Icefall! Icefall!”

Mapleshade watched as Icefall darted over to Midgepelt to share some brief words, then head directly over to Mapleshade. An unfamiliar brown cat joined the new warrior, as well as Myler. Icefall was beaming.

“This is Cypresspaw,” Icefall explained quickly. “Cypresspaw, this is Myler and Maple.”

Mapleshade murmured a greeting. “Congratulations, Icefall!” she then mewed. Myler echoed her words. “A warrior already… the young ones grow up so quickly,” Mapleshade joked.

“I’m so proud of you,” Cypresspaw said, leaning into Icefall’s shoulder. Mapleshade squinted at them. “I hope I get a warrior name that’s as cool as yours.”

“I’m sure you will!” Icefall replied indignantly. The silver tabby looked at Mapleshade. “How’s your wound doing, Maple?”

_ A warrior for only a few moments and she’s already bossing me around, _ Mapleshade thought, smiling to herself. “Larkwing says that it isn’t bad,” Mapleshade reported. “It stings a little bit, though.”

“I’m glad you could see my warrior ceremony,” Icefall mewed, beaming. “When do you have to leave?”

Mapleshade glanced at Smallstar, who was in discussion with Midgepelt and Swiftflight near the Tallrock, then over at Myler, who was standing next to her. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I’d like to stay for a little bit longer.” It was nice, being in a Clan again, even if she knew she didn’t belong there. If she wanted to stay, would WindClan accept her?

“I wish Cypresspaw could have had her ceremony with me,” Icefall said, nudging Cypresspaw’s shoulder with her nose. “We’re the same age, but because Cypresspaw was training as a medicine cat, she has to redo some of the warrior training.”

“I’ll be in the warriors’ den with you soon,” Cypresspaw promised with a purr. “Acornheart says that I’m learning very quickly. I think he’s impressed.”

“That’s nice,” Mapleshade mewed curtly. She could feel Myler watching her, but she deliberately ignored him.

“If I could have your attention once more?” Smallstar had leapt back up onto the Tallrock and was now yowling down from it. “There is one more ceremony to perform today. Spotnose’s kits are ready to become apprentices!”

A cheer went up from the crowd. Three small ginger cats, one with white splotches, scampered out from where the gathered cats had parted, their eyes shining bright with elation.

“Lionkit!” The solid ginger tom-kit gazed up at Smallstar. “From this day on you shall be known as Lionpaw. Your mentor will be Swiftflight. I hope that Swiftflight will pass down all that he knows to you.” Lionpaw padded over to touch noses with the grey tabby warrior.

“Sparkkit!” Smallstar continued. The only she-kit of the litter, a tabby, took a step forward. “You shall be known as Sparkpaw, and as you have decided to become a medicine cat, your mentor will be Larkwing. You will accompany Larkwing to the Moonstone at the next half-moon to be presented to StarClan.” Larkwing emerged from the crowd and touched her nose to Sparkpaw’s.

Cypresspaw leaned over to Icefall and whispered, loud enough for Mapleshade to hear, “Oh good, I’m glad! I felt bad leaving Larkwing without an apprentice.”

“And last but not least, Tailkit.” Smallstar smiled down at the ginger-and-white tom-kit. Mapleshade couldn’t help thinking that Tailkit was an odd name, but then she noticed that the kit’s tail was awkwardly bent. His mother must have been guaranteeing that he would be named for his crooked tail. “You will be known as Tailpaw, and your mentor shall be Tumbleflower. I hope that she trains you well and passes down everything she knows to you.” The apprentice and mentor touched noses.

The Clan then joined together in calling the names of the new apprentices. “Lionpaw! Sparkpaw! Tailpaw!”

“This meeting is dismissed!” Smallstar called, and the WindClan clearing dissolved into cats talking. Mapleshade watched the three new apprentices bounce around their mentors, remembering fondly when she’d just been apprenticed to Bloomheart. It felt so long ago. Then she thought much less fondly about how she never got to see her kits apprenticed. Mapleshade turned away, biting back the bitter taste welling up in her throat.

Mapleshade’s wound twinged and she stumbled. Myler raced forward to support her against his shoulder, but she waved him away. He looked hurt, so she muttered, “I’m fine, it’s nothing.”

“Should I get Larkwing?” Icefall asked, glancing over at where the medicine cat was talking with her new apprentice.

“No, I’m okay,” Mapleshade insisted. “Just a dizzy spell.” She attempted a reassuring smile, but it felt tight and fake.

“Maple! Myler!” Mapleshade’s attention was drawn to Smallstar walking over to them. “Icefall, Rainspark is organizing hunting patrols and wants you on one. Cypresspaw, Acornheart is looking for you.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Icefall and Cypresspaw replied in unison.

“I’ll see you later, Maple!” Icefall mewed, before darting off with Cypresspaw on her heels.

“Good afternoon, Smallstar,” Mapleshade said, dipping her head to the white she-cat. “Icefall will make a good warrior.”

“I agree,” Smallstar replied with a nod. Mapleshade had to admit that the leader was aptly named - she was significantly smaller than Mapleshade, almost so that she could be mistaken for an apprentice.

“When would you like us to go home?” Myler asked, stepping forwards.

“I’ve spoken to Larkwing.” Smallstar paused to clear her throat. “You can… stay for a couple of days so that she can make sure that Maple’s wound doesn’t get infected.” Mapleshade could sense that the leader would have preferred them to leave now, but that the medicine cat had changed her mind. “Then you must leave. You will be staying in the medicine den, Maple, and Myler can stay in the nursery as every other den is full.”

“Even the elders’ den?” Mapleshade blurted before she could stop herself. If ThunderClan had ever needed to house a loner or two, they would have stayed in the elders’ den.

Smallstar regarded her curiously. “Yes, we have four elders at the moment and the den isn’t built for very many more than that,” Smallstar answered. “Why?”

“Oh, I just- it seemed kind of empty when Larkwing was pointing out each den to me earlier,” Mapleshade mewed quickly. “I apologize for interrupting, Smallstar.” She dipped her head to the leader.

“Thank you,” Smallstar muttered. She seemed suspicious but didn’t pry. “Myler, do you know where the nursery is?”

“Yes, I do. I’m looking forward to meeting the queens,” Myler said kindly.

“Just one queen. Spotnose will be moving back to the warriors’ den tonight. Cloudspeckle will appreciate not being alone, I think. She has three kits - Hawkkit, Curlkit, and Stormkit.” Smallstar flicked her tail. “I’ll leave you two be, then.”

Smallstar turned and padded away. Myler looked over at Mapleshade, but Mapleshade shook her head.

“I’m tired and need to rest,” Mapleshade murmured. “Larkwing’s orders. We can talk later, Myler.”

“Okay,” Myler said forlornly. “I’ll go introduce myself to Cloudspeckle, then.”

As he walked away, Mapleshade whispered, “You do that,” and slumped sadly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for no update for a while! Here we are in WindClan :D


	14. Chapter 14

For once, Mapleshade was having a normal dream. Or at least it seemed that way at first.

_ “Myler?” She could scent him, just out of sight behind the trees up ahead. “Myler, where are you?” Mapleshade yawned. “Myler, come back!” _

_ The forest was quiet and full of fog, reminding her of the dark forest that she’d spent time in in her dreams. However, it didn’t have the same cold, musty feel, and there were stars in the sky. Mapleshade plunged ahead into the bushes after Myler, but every time she thought she saw white-and-black fur through the leaves, it ended up being nothing. _

_ More scents started to swirl around her and she called out their names. “Icefall? Larkwing? Dixie?” She spun around. “Why are you ignoring me? I know you’re there!” Mapleshade howled. _

_ Mapleshade glared up at the stars, twinkling coldly in the sky. Her heart twinged. “Give me a sign! What should I do, StarClan?” Mapleshade demanded, but no cats appeared.  _

_ A gust of wind disturbed the fog to her left and Mapleshade looked, seeing a small tuft of black-and-white fur caught on the grass beneath a large tree. Mapleshade dashed over but hesitated when she realized that there was an apple on the ground as well. _

_ “Myler…” Mapleshade looked at the tuft of fur, then at the apple, “and Appledusk.” She glanced back up at the stars. Curious, she reached for Myler’s fur but started when the apple suddenly vanished. She pulled her paw away and the apple reappeared, exactly where it was. “I have to choose,” Mapleshade realized. “I have to choose Myler or Appledusk, is that what you’re telling me?” Her amber eyes darted around the trees, searching for answers. _

_ Her gaze trailed over the apple. “Appledusk… my life _ . _ My  _ kits _. Everything I ever had lays with the memories of Appledusk. I can’t just… I can’t just forget him. I can’t just forget our kits.” Mapleshade shook her head. “Why do I have to choose? Why can’t Myler just be happy with me as a friend?” _

_ Mapleshade knew why. It was the same reason her heart was tugging her towards his fur. Because  _ she _ wouldn’t be happy if they were just friends. With startling clarity, Mapleshade suddenly knew that she loved Myler, the same as or maybe more than she had loved Appledusk. They could be together without worrying about the warrior code, being seen together, or where their next meal would come from during leaf-bare, but it would mean letting Appledusk and her kits go. It would mean moving on. Mapleshade was scared. _

_ “Oh, my kits…” Mapleshade murmured, closing her eyes as tears started to well up. She’d been ripping open the grief in her heart deliberately, terrified to let it heal, but now she knew what she had to do if she ever wanted to be happy again. She had been given another chance at life and it would be selfish to let it go to waste. “Larchkit… Patchkit… Petalkit… I will never stop loving you. I promise,” she swore, before reaching out and closing her claws around Myler’s fur. _

Larkwing slipped back into the medicine den as the sun was setting, her yawn alerting Mapleshade to the medicine cat’s presence and jolting her out of the drowsy half-sleep she’d been stewing in. Mapleshade glanced over her shoulder, amber eyes half-closed.

“How is Sparkpaw?” Mapleshade asked quietly, curling her dappled tail out of the way.

“Pardon? Er, she’s doing well,” Larkwing murmured. “She’s eager to learn. I’ll show her around the medicine den tomorrow.”

“I’ll get out of your fur, then,” Mapleshade promised, dipping her head to the grey tabby. “I can join Myler in the nursery.”

Larkwing waved a paw dismissively. “No, stick around. I can show Sparkpaw what herbs I use on your wound and how to reapply them. It’ll be helpful to have a patient.”

“Okay, Larkwing,” Mapleshade mewed.

There was a tense silence. Larkwing looked decidedly awkward.

“Is there something you want to say, Larkwing?” Mapleshade narrowed her eyes.

“No, no, nothing…” Larkwing said, trailing off as she padded to her nest. “I’m sure I must be wrong.”

Mapleshade tilted her head to one side. “Wrong about what?”

“You remind me of a ThunderClan warrior that I haven’t seen in a long time,” Larkwing murmured, “but it must be my mind playing tricks on me.”

Mapleshade stiffened. “Yes, it must be,” she replied weakly. “Goodnight, Larkwing.”

“I’ll check your wound in the morning,” Larkwing said. “Sleep well.”

Mapleshade yawned and laid her head down on her folded paws. Larkwing  _ knew. _ Even if she didn’t realize that she knew… she did. In another lifetime, Mapleshade might have killed her without a second thought. But Mapleshade liked Larkwing and didn’t want to hurt her or even threaten her. Larkwing seemed willing to give her another chance, but if she voiced her thoughts to another cat, such as the overly-suspicious Smallstar...

There was only one way to make sure that Larkwing didn’t take her suspicions to Smallstar.

Mapleshade was going to have to come clean.

“Er- wait, Larkwing, I was actually wondering if I could talk to you for a moment. O-outside of the camp,” Mapleshade managed awkwardly. “It’s private.”

The medicine cat blinked at her from the darkness of the den. “Oh, yes, of course. I’d be happy to help.” Larkwing had an understanding and slightly cheeky glint in her eyes, and Mapleshade wondered what Larkwing was thinking about. She could make a guess, but frankly, she didn’t want to.

“You lead,” Mapleshade murmured, getting up from her nest. “I don’t know the territory.”

Larkwing nimbly stepped past her and out of the den, leading the tortoiseshell she-cat to the camp entrance and then out onto the moor. There was a small hill, more of a bump in the landscape than anything, not far from the camp and Larkwing stopped behind it.

Larkwing settled herself in the grass. “Now, Maple, what were you wanting to say to me?” the grey tabby asked gently.

Mapleshade shifted her paws and sat down. “That’s not my name,” she blurted before she could stop herself. “My name is… I’m Mapleshade, Mapleshade of Th-ThunderClan.”

Larkwing stared silently at Mapleshade, her face refusing to reveal any emotions.

“I was near-fatally injured when Myler found me,” Mapleshade hurried on, touching the scar on her neck. “The Twolegs saved my life. I’ve spent the last few seasons living with him on the farm. I regret what I did and swear to you, Larkwing, that I’ve changed.”

The silence was deafening. Larkwing seemed to be struggling to process.

Finally, she mewed, “I appreciate you telling me this… Mapleshade. But… but why me?” Larkwing blinked at Mapleshade and Mapleshade realized with a start that Larkwing didn’t know what she’d done. If they thought she was dead… maybe Oakstar never announced it to the other Clans.

“I… well, you started to guess, and I didn’t want you to tell anybody… more curious,” Mapleshade explained weakly. It sounded silly when she tried to explain it. “Some things happened before I left ThunderClan and… there might be hard feelings.”

“Oh. I understand,” Larkwing replied. Mapleshade was grateful when she didn’t pry. “Have you told anybody else in all this time who you really are? Does Icefall know?”

Mapleshade shook her head. “Only Myler.” She paused. “I also had a dream,” Mapleshade blurted.

“That’s more my area of expertise,” Larkwing seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “Tell me about your dream.”

Quickly, Mapleshade explained what she’d seen and what she thought it meant. She glossed over any details of what exactly happened with Appledusk and her kits, but Larkwing seemed to guess that her kits had gone to StarClan.

“I agree,” Larkwing said when she had finished. “Dwelling on the past will only weigh you down and make it harder for you to go on. Myler is a nice cat, and I can tell that he likes you very much.”

Mapleshade could feel her ears turning red. “I-I don’t need relationship advice,” she mewed. “I just wanted help with interpreting my  _ dream, _ Larkwing.” Her fur started to prickle.

“Yes, yes, of course.” Larkwing winked knowingly. “I think you handled it well and I don’t have anything else to add.”

Mapleshade shifted her paws, feeling uncomfortable. “Do you… do you ever wish you could have a mate as a medicine cat, Larkwing?” she inquired. It had something she’d always wanted to ask a medicine cat, but Ravenwing hadn’t exactly been the most sociable cat.

It was Larkwing’s turn to be awkwardly silent. “I would never break the warrior code,” she finally answered slowly, “but… if the code allowed it… I would pursue a mate.”

Mapleshade suddenly saw a familiar look in Larkwing’s eyes. “You’re in love, aren’t you?” she murmured, leaning forward towards the grey tabby.  _ And you’re not allowed to have the cat you’re infatuated with. _

Larkwing looked down at her paws. “I would never break the warrior code,” she repeated stubbornly.

“My… my first mate was from another Clan,” Mapleshade mewed quietly. “I won’t reveal your secret.” The air was thick with tension; Mapleshade could sense that this was something Larkwing had never shared. It seemed to be the night for crushing secrets.

“Very well,” Larkwing whispered. “I… am in love, Mapleshade.”

Mapleshade blinked. She didn’t want to pry… but she also wanted to know. “With who?”

Larkwing leaned closer and spoke the name directly into Mapleshade’s ear.

Mapleshade moved away, looking at Larkwing with wide eyes. “ _ No, _ ” Mapleshade gasped. “Really? Her?”

“I know she’s prickly, but if you just give her a chance-” Larkwing protested before Mapleshade cut her off.

“Prickly? I thought she was going to rip my fur off!” Mapleshade exclaimed, but there was a note of humour in her mew. She hadn’t been able to tease another she-cat like this since leaving ThunderClan.

“She’s adorable, though, don’t you think?” Larkwing mewed wistfully. “Any cat that size can’t be taken seriously.”

Mapleshade laughed. “You’re delirious - she’s still terrifying, no matter how small she is.”

“You might be right,” Larkwing admitted with a smile. “I wish there was a herb to treat lovesickness. I… I hate this. She would poke fun at me if I ever admitted it, and admitting it would be breaking the code.”

“You’re a cat with feelings just like everybody else,” Mapleshade said. “It’s not fair that you should have to lie about them.” She was surprised by her boldness.

Larkwing shivered as a breeze blew by them. “I wasn’t expecting to talk about this tonight, but it has been nice. We should get some sleep.” She glanced at Mapleshade. “You especially. Those wounds need to heal.”

“They don’t hurt anymore,” Mapleshade replied defensively. She didn’t want to sleep. She was sick of having dreams.

“Still, your body can fight off infection better when you’re asleep.” Larkwing looked at Mapleshade for a few more moments before sighing dejectedly. “Fine. Have you seen Outlook Rock yet?”

“No, I haven’t,” Mapleshade mewed, curious. “Would you show me?”

Larkwing smiled softly. “Come along, Mapleshade.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're welcome to guess who Larkwing's crush is, though I think it's quite obvious...  
> Catch my rarepair brain latching onto Larkwing x Mapleshade, gosh darn it, this is supposed to be a MYLERSHADE fic, THE AUTHOR NEEDS TO STOP THINKING OF NEW MAPLESHADE SHIPS!!


	15. Chapter 15

“You really have to go so soon?” Icefall asked dejectedly, glancing between the two farm cats. Mapleshade couldn’t help feeling bad when she caught the look of gloom in the silver tabby’s blue eyes. “I thought-” Icefall looked over at Larkwing, who was standing a few tail-lengths away.

“Maple’s wound healed quicker than Larkwing expected,” Smallstar interrupted briskly, coming up to the group and standing beside the grey tabby medicine cat. “It’s time for Maple and Myler to go home. I’m sure they must be missing it.” The WindClan leader’s gaze was harsh, but it softened briefly as she continued. “Thank you for your help against the badger.”

Larkwing’s eyes flickered up to Smallstar’s face, then away to the ground and her paws.  _ Oh, Larkwing…  _ Mapleshade thought.  _ I wish there was a way that you and she could be happy. _ Mapleshade knew that feeling - being in love with a cat you were forbidden from loving. She had sympathy for the medicine cat.

Myler dipped his head to the small white she-cat that was addressing them. “I hope that we can remain friends with WindClan in the future,” he replied evenly. “We will respect your borders, but know that any WindClan cat is welcome to visit our barn for whatever reason.” Myler had discussed this with Mapleshade earlier that morning, and Mapleshade had no problem with it. She’d be delighted if Icefall was allowed to see them every once in a while.

The corners of Smallstar’s mouth twitched down into the echo of a disapproving frown as Icefall’s face lit up. “It would be amazing to see you again!” she exclaimed loudly. “I don’t see any reason why we  _ can’t _ be friends. Right, Cypresspaw?” Icefall looked at the fluffy brown tabby seated next to her.

Cypresspaw seemed oblivious to the glare that the WindClan leader was shooting her. “Oh, yes, of course!” Cypresspaw replied, leaning into Icefall’s shoulder. “Any friend of Icefall is a friend of mine. Besides, you helped us. There can’t be any harm in repaying the favour.”

Mapleshade could practically see the smoke billowing from Smallstar’s ears. Larkwing leaned down to whisper something to Smallstar, and the white she-cat deflated a bit.

“Tumbleflower, Rainspark, and Acornheart,” Smallstar started, turning around and projecting her voice around the clearing, “would you escort Maple and Myler to the border?”

The three cats presented themselves and Mapleshade took a moment to take in each of them.

First, Tumbleflower. She was a light brown tabby with folded ears and sparkling green eyes that crinkled around the edges. Mapleshade had already met her when they’d fought the badger. Icefall had also told her that Tumbleflower had nursed her as a kit. Kind and generous.

Next, Rainspark. He was the Clan deputy and didn’t seem to talk much. His pelt was a dark ash-grey lined with even darker tabby stripes and a small dash of white in the middle of his chest, and his eyes were a pale blue. Strong muscles rippled underneath his fur every time he moved and his coat was neatly-groomed. Wise and a listener.

Finally, Acornheart. He was Cypresspaw’s mentor and taller than every other cat in the group - even Mapleshade. He had a rich ginger pelt that bristled out on his shoulders, the top of his head, and around the base of his tail. His tail was long and thin with a small tuft on the end and his legs were long and spindly. Opinionated, but friendly.

Rainspark took the lead and dipped his head to Smallstar as he passed. Acornheart bounded up to follow him, but Tumbleflower paused to wait for Mapleshade and Myler, her green eyes expectant.

“Goodbye, Icefall,” Mapleshade mewed simply, smiling and nodding to the grey tabby.

Without any warning, Icefall leapt forward and threw her paws around Mapleshade’s neck and shoulders. Mapleshade initially froze out of confusion and shock, but then realized that the warrior was hugging her. “Be safe, Maple!” Icefall cried, before letting go and moving back.

“Hey, what about me?” Myler teased, a good-natured grin on his face. Icefall smiled back and hugged him as well. The two exchanged good-byes and soon, Mapleshade and Myler were following the WindClan warriors out of camp.

Tumbleflower and Acornheart fell into line, flanking Mapleshade and Myler. “My apprentice has been talking to you a lot,” Acornheart commented, looking over at the two barn cats. “I hope you’re not filling the space between her ears with fluff!”

“It’s not us you should be worrying about,” Myler replied good-naturedly. “Cypresspaw is obviously padding after Icefall, and love can make any cat a little fluff-brained!” His blue eyes flicked briefly to Mapleshade, before going back to Acornheart. “I assume that’s why she gave up becoming a medicine cat - to pursue her love of Icefall.”

Acornheart snickered. “She didn’t believe me when I told her it was obvious,” he responded. “Yes, Cypresspaw was passionate about being a medicine cat, but she’s so in love with Icefall that to bar herself from having a mate would be unfair and torturous. Larkwing didn’t want to see her go through that.”

_ Oh, yes, I can imagine why, _ Mapleshade thought wryly. Larkwing didn’t want Cypresspaw to end up like her - trapped by the warrior code and her feelings.

“I hope Icefall feels the same, or else it’ll be a lot of trouble for nothing,” Myler mewed, his brow furrowing. “How is Cypresspaw doing in her training? She and Icefall are the same age, right?”

Acornheart nodded. “Cypresspaw is catching up quickly, but it will still be a moon or two before she can be made a warrior. She hasn’t been complaining, just doing her best, which is all I can ask for. She’s definitely mature enough to become a warrior,” the dark ginger cat explained.

Mapleshade looked up at Rainspark, whose ears were twitching, indicating that he was either listening to the conversation or completely tuning it out. Tumbleflower was gazing at Mapleshade curiously, which made Mapleshade feel awkward and turn back to Myler and Acornheart.

“I’m glad that you and Icefall have gotten along so well,” Tumbleflower murmured, drawing Mapleshade’s attention back. “She needs support. I’ve tried my best to be a mother to her, but…”

“...it’s not the same,” Mapleshade finished sympathetically. “I had kits once, but they… they didn’t get to grow up. It’s been… really nice watching Icefall become a strong young warrior.” Her heart twisted at the thought of her kits, but Mapleshade could have sworn that it was less raw than it had once been. Myler, Icefall, Dixie, now Tumbleflower… cats  _ liked _ her. She was supported here, more than she ever had been in ThunderClan.

Tumbleflower’s green eyes softened. “I’m sorry about your kits, Maple. I didn’t know,” she mewed. “I… I’ve always wanted to have kits, but I… I can’t. Larkwing told me that I would never bear kits when I was just a young warrior. Icefall is the closest I’ve come.”

“Do you have a mate?” Mapleshade asked, glancing around at the rest of the group. Nobody else seemed to be paying attention to them.

Tumbleflower shook her head. “I chased some potential candidates when I was younger, but it didn’t work out. Hootjaw was only interested in toms, Storkcall just wasn’t interested in me, and…” Tumbleflower hesitated, “...and Rainspark and I decided that we were better off as friends.”

Mapleshade’s gaze lit up playfully. “You were almost mates with the  _ Clan deputy? _ ” she prompted, leaning towards Tumbleflower.

“He wasn’t the deputy then!” the brown tabby shot back. Then she glanced nervously up at Rainspark. “But yes. It was for the best.” Tumbleflower shook out her fur, letting her folded ears flop on her head. “I’m happy by myself and I’d rather not push myself into a relationship.”

“That’s wise,” Mapleshade commented. “I’d be happy to share Icefall with you, Tumbleflower. We can exchange her every half-moon,” she joked.

Tumbleflower laughed. “That would be wonderful, Maple.” The brown tabby looked as if she were going to say something more, but Rainspark interrupted first.

“We’re here,” he grunted. Mapleshade didn’t know if he had overheard her conversation with Tumbleflower. “Say your goodbyes.” She hadn’t noticed that they had crossed the WindClan scent line.

“Goodbye, Myler! Catch you later, Maple,” Acornheart called, stepping back and flicking his tail in their direction. Rainspark nodded to both of them and Tumbleflower smiled.

“Be safe - both of you,” Tumbleflower mewed. “Goodbye!”

Then the WindClan cats darted back over the scent line and the ridge.

Mapleshade sighed. Just her and Myler again. “I’m going to lay down,” she rumbled, shouldering the barn door open further and stepping inside. For once the barn seemed too large, too empty. She wondered how Myler had coped with being alone before she had arrived.

“Mapleshade, wait… we need to talk,” Myler called weakly, gazing at her from the door.

“Not now,” Mapleshade replied. “Later. My wound is aching.” It was a lie, but it had the desired effect. Myler backed down and disappeared behind one of the hay bales. Mapleshade heaved herself up into her nest and curled up, chasing away sorrowful thoughts.

Right before she drifted off, Mapleshade wondered what being a WindClan warrior would be like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to yet another chapter of Mapleshade bonding with other characters and having communication issues with Myler!  
> This chapter is slightly filler while I get back from a school drag.  
> 


	16. Chapter 16

Mapleshade shivered in the cold and fluffed up her fur against the bitter chill of the wind. Myler was sitting beside her on the roof, quivering violently. His pelt was naturally thinner than hers, so she counted herself lucky.

“You brought me up here to talk, so  _ talk,” _ Mapleshade muttered sourly. Couldn’t they have done this  _ in _ the barn? She knew she was being unfair - Myler had been trying to speak to her since his disastrous love confession. Though it hadn’t been his fault - she’d ruined it. Mapleshade swallowed a hard lump in her throat.

“If you don’t love me, just  _ tell _ me, Mapleshade,” Myler blurted, voice shaky. “I don’t want to hurt you or make you uncomfortable, but it’s really hard when I don’t know what you want. I thought I might have a chance, but after you ran out on me…” He sounded so heartbroken, and Mapleshade’s face softened.

“I didn’t know what I wanted when you asked,” Mapleshade admitted softly. Myler looked up at her, blue eyes pleading. “But now, I think I do. I… I thought I would never be happy again, after… after Appledusk. And then I met you, Myler,” she stammered. “I’m sorry for all the times I called you a kittypet. There’s so much more to you than that. You’re compassionate… and brave… and honest… and I… I want you, if you’ll have me.” Mapleshade brushed her tail across the roof tiles, disappointed in her speech. Somebody must have reached into her mouth and twisted her tongue because everything was coming out weak and wrong.

Myler reached up and placed a paw on Mapleshade’s chest, over her heart. “Of course I’ll have you,” he murmured. “I love you, Mapleshade.” The black-and-white tom leaned into her shoulder and her tail curled around him, pulling him into the soft embrace of her tortoiseshell-and-white fur.

Mapleshade’s heart swelled. StarClan had been right. There was a new life here if she dared to accept it. Appledusk and her kits would always live on in her memories, but it was time to make new memories, with a mate that wouldn’t abandon her and a home that didn’t care about her transgressions. “I…” Mapleshade hesitated, before leaning down to press her muzzle into the side of Myler’s neck. “I love you, too.”

Myler purred and licked her cheek fur affectionately. He was a ray of sunshine in Mapleshade’s dark night, a glimmer of starlight in the place where no stars shone, her flickering ember of fire in an otherwise cold and unforgiving leaf-bare. Mapleshade was holding tight to Myler and she didn’t ever want to let him go. By the way that Myler was curling into her grasp, he felt the same way.

They stayed, huddled up together, for a few long moments. Myler’s heart was thrumming steadily in her ear and she closed her eyes, overly conscious of how much bigger than Myler she was. He was so small, so weak compared to her…  _ I will protect you, _ she swore silently.  _ You saved my life, and I love you, and I will keep you safe. _

“Can we go back inside now?” Mapleshade asked good-naturedly, voice muffled by Myler’s black-and-white pelt. Myler laughed, and she felt herself melt. Her stomach rumbled, and Mapleshade joined Myler in his laughter.

“Of course,” Myler purred. “We can catch some mice and have a feast. And hope that leaf-bare’s over soon. Maybe Icefall will surprise us with a visit before the full moon.” Mapleshade glanced up at the sky. It would be the full moon after a few more sunrises. “Let’s get out of the wind.” Myler tried to untangle himself from Mapleshade’s grasp and she purred with amusement, then let him go. He led the way back to the gap in the roof tiles and slid through, with Mapleshade easily following. Leaf-bare had made them both thin.

There was an extra spring in both cats’ step as they descended from the roof through the rafters, bounding from one beam to another and down onto the loft. Mapleshade jumped to a moderately-sized haystack and yelped as it refused to support her weight and she went crashing down in a mess of hay. Mapleshade spit stalks from her mouth and pawed her way out from under the hay, the gritty plant sticking to her tortoiseshell-and-white pelt like burrs.

“Are you hurt?” Myler asked, padding over to her, but she could tell he was holding back giggles. She shook her head, and he snickered. “It’s a nice look. The yellow brings out your eyes.” Mapleshade glared at him. “If I bring you a mouse, will you excuse that I made fun of you?”

“Yes,” Mapleshade grunted sourly, trying to shake hay from her fur. “Oh, and this day was going so  _ well…” _ She sighed and stormed over to her nest, a growl rising in her throat. As she went by the door of the barn, she hesitated, glancing out at the moor through the crack. A pang of longing tore at Mapleshade’s heart, but she shook her head and continued.

Myler soon reappeared with a mouse, and despite her annoyance at falling into the haystack, Mapleshade cracked a smile at the sight of her mate. Because they were mates now, weren’t they? Mapleshade purred at the thought. “Thank you,” Mapleshade mewed, taking the mouse from him and tearing into the flesh with her teeth. Her hunger had been making her snappy, and she instantly felt better.

“I saw the way you looked at the moor,” Myler murmured, sitting down next to her nest. “You were thinking about WindClan.” It wasn’t a question. “You miss being in a Clan, don’t you, Mapleshade?” He looked at her with sympathy, and if he had been any other cat, Mapleshade would have clawed him.

Mapleshade sighed, licking blood from the edges of her lips and her whiskers. She leaned over, pressing her muzzle into Myler’s shoulder. She took a moment, drinking in his calming scent, squeezing her eyes shut to try to gather her thoughts. Then she whispered, “After living in a Clan for so long… I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I went back.”

Myler made a noise of understanding and lapped her ears back with his tongue. “We can go back to visit soon,” he promised. “Icefall and Tumbleflower will convince Smallstar.”

Mapleshade laughed. “I don’t think there’s a cat in the forest that could convince Smallstar to do something she didn’t want to do,” Mapleshade commented with a scoff. “You’d have better luck convincing a fox not to eat you.”

The black-and-white tom purred. “The rest of her Clan seems to like us enough, though, and a leader has to listen to her Clan, surely?” Myler mewed.

“Yeah,” Mapleshade replied, her mind wandering back to Ravenwing and Oakstar. Oakstar had exiled her under pressure from Ravenwing. “Yeah, they do.”

Myler looked over at her. “Are you alright?” he asked, brow furrowing.

“Fine,” Mapleshade said. She clenched and unclenched her paws. “It’s been a rough week. With what happened with you, my injury, staying in WindClan… there’s been so much to think about.” She shifted over in the nest, leaving room for Myler. “There’s space if you want it.”

Myler stepped into the nest and sat down beside her. “I’m sorry,” the black-and-white tom mewed. “I shouldn’t have sprung the conversation on you this morning. I didn’t think about it.”

Mapleshade shushed him. “Don’t worry about it.” She smiled. “It worked out, didn’t it?” Mapleshade curled her fluffy tail over his back. “We’re back home and everything’s okay.”

“And you love me,” Myler added with a purr.

“I do,” Mapleshade replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a short chapter, so sorry about that!! Anyway, these dorks are now mates, but Mapleshade still has... uh... emotional issues.


	17. Chapter 17

Mapleshade finally awoke one morning to a warm breeze fluttering through the loose boards and stirring her tortoiseshell-and-white fur. She blinked open her amber eyes and yawned, delighted at the first signs of newleaf. Myler was still asleep beside her and a jolt of surprised contentment shot up her spine as she realized his warm presence against her flank. Mapleshade’s face melted into a soft smile and she leaned down to lick his ears affectionately and wake him up.

Myler hummed and rolled over onto his back, looking up at Mapleshade with heavy-lidded blue eyes, still looking half asleep. “Aw, I was in the middle of such a good dream, too,” Myler complained half-heartedly. Something sparked in his gaze. “But waking up with you is better than any dream, Mapleshade.” He grinned.

Mapleshade rolled her eyes, but there was no punch in her actions. “You’re such a big sap,” she said. “Come on, I want to check on the snow. Newleaf is coming; I can feel it!” She poked him in the nose with one paw and darted out of their nest ( _ their _ nest, it was  _ their _ nest now, and Mapleshade was ecstatic) and down the haystack in three short bounds, her tail swishing with excitement.

Myler laughed behind her and Mapleshade heard the hay crunch and his pawsteps as the black-and-white tom followed her to the barn door. “I’ve never seen you so excited over something as small as snow melting,” Myler commented, “but I’m not complaining. It’s adorable.” He brushed his tail over Mapleshade’s shoulders.

Mapleshade forced her shoulder into the crack between the barn door and the wall and heaved it open. “I’m not adorable, I’m a battle-hardened wa…  _ fighter!” _ Mapleshade protested, though she knew the argument was hopeless. Besides, she did like being called adorable. “You’re lucky that I love you - if you were anybody else, I’d slice your nose off right now.”

Myler purred and sauntered into the space next to Mapleshade, gazing out at the countryside and moor with her. “Looks like you were right,” the black-and-white tom observed. “The snow will be all gone soon. Oh, I can’t  _ wait _ to show you all the wildflowers that bloom near here in newleaf. They’re almost as beautiful as you.”

The remaining snow was painted over the grass in long, thin strokes, giving way to the grass and earth underneath. It looked daub and unappealing, with the snow taking on a disgusting brown shade and the ground soaked with water and slush, but Mapleshade had never been happier. At least it would be  _ warm, _ and things were always easier when it was warm.

“Wildflowers?” Mapleshade’s ears perked up. “We never had many back in ThunderClan…” The mention of her old home still sent a thorn through her heart, but it was dull and distracted by the pulsing ember of love that tied her to Myler and her new home. Maybe it was just the pleasant wind rushing through her fur, but Mapleshade felt confident that with time, she could really move on from ThunderClan, Appledusk, and… her kits. “Wh-what kinds?” Mapleshade stammered, tearing her thoughts away from her lost children. She was too happy to dwell on grief right now. She had mourned for so long… time spent in the moment with her new mate was well-deserved.

“Oh, all sorts! I don’t know many of the names, but there are always such beautiful yellow and white ones in the flower boxes by the farmhouse,” Myler explained. He caught her eye and seemed to notice the emotions lingering there. He continued in an attempt to draw Mapleshade back. “I’ve also found pretty blue ones near the WindClan border and even red ones near the Thunderpath. And, by what you call the Moonstone, there are the most gorgeous purple flowers sometimes, if you’re lucky.”

Mapleshade felt her heart flutter with gratefulness. It had been luck that had led her to stumble into Myler’s barn, close to death, or perhaps the guiding paw of StarClan. It didn’t really matter. “When do they start to bloom?” she asked, folding her ears back.

“It depends on the weather,” Myler responded with a shrug. “Sometimes it’s as soon as the snow is gone, sometimes it takes a lot longer.” He stepped back out of Mapleshade’s peripheral vision. “Are you hungry, Mapleshade? The mice will be running well this morning.”

“Not really,” Mapleshade answered. She took a few paces towards the grass. “I think I’m going to take a walk. You can eat.” Mapleshade curled her tail-tip.

“You don’t want me to come with you?” Myler called after her.

She looked back and shook her head. “No, it’s alright. I won’t go far and I’ll be back soon, so don’t get your tail in a twist,” Mapleshade mewed, flashing him a playful smile. “Perhaps I’ll catch a big, fat rabbit and make you jealous!” She curled her toes against the hard earth.

“I’ll have three plump mice by the time you make it to the WindClan border,” Myler shot back, teasing. “And I won’t share!” The black-and-white tom waved his tail and disappeared into the barn.

Mapleshade’s eyes narrowed.  _ How did he know that I’m going to the WindClan border? _ She shook her head. It didn’t matter. He had probably been joking around and happened to guess the right spot. Besides, it wasn’t a secret that Mapleshade missed Clan life to some extent. She’d admitted it to Myler after they’d returned from WindClan. “I’ll be back soon, Myler!” Mapleshade shouted, then turned back to the moor.

Mapleshade flattened her ears and charged down the rise towards WindClan territory, her paws crunching on the last remnants of the snow. It was like being a kit again, bounding around without a care, the sharp taste of leaf-bare giving way to the earthen scent of newleaf. Her fluffy tail swished across the ground and she gave way to playfulness, pouncing on fallen leaves and giggling to herself.

Mapleshade made her way towards the Thunderpath and Highstones, staying a few tail-lengths from the scent marks on the border. When she found a particularly sunny patch of grass where the snow had been burned away, she sat down and curled up. Mapleshade let her eyes close and purred gently, the warm sun feeling wonderful on her back.

“Mapleshade!” a familiar voice suddenly broke in, taking Mapleshade by surprise. She didn’t think that she would hear that voice again, especially not so soon.

The tortoiseshell she-cat leapt to her paws and turned to stare at the light ginger molly.  _ “Dixie?” _ Mapleshade questioned with disbelief. She glanced around and tasted the air, finding no sign of Dixie’s family. “You’re here… alone?”

“Yes,” Dixie answered, stepping closer to Mapleshade and purring. “I was itching to come back and visit, but nobody else wanted to come. So I insisted to my father that he let me go and stop treating me like a kit. Eventually, he gave in.” Dixie flashed Mapleshade a content smile. “How have things been since we left?”

“Come back to the barn, we can talk on the way,” Mapleshade said, gesturing for Dixie to follow with her tail. Dixie trotted up to walk beside her and they started to head back. “I… well, I was attacked by a badger and spent some time in WindClan because of that.” Mapleshade paused, unsure of how Dixie would take this next statement. “Myler and I are mates now.” Mapleshade had come to realize in Dixie’s absence that the loner had been trying to court her while she stayed in the barn.

To Mapleshade’s relief, Dixie touched her nose to Mapleshade’s shoulder and mewed, “That’s great! I’m happy for you.” She hesitated. “I could see the chemistry between you two the last time I was here. I’m sorry if I came across as… jealous. Mapleshade, you’re gorgeous and kind, and any cat would be lucky to have you.” The ginger she-cat sounded sincere.

Mapleshade bit her tongue, trying to keep emotion from welling up in her gaze. She was doing it. She was  _ improving. _ Cats  _ liked _ her! Everything was  _ good! _ “Oh… thank you, Dixie,” she replied lightly, matching Dixie’s warm smile. “I hope you find somebody that you can be happy with, too.”

“Actually, that’s almost part of the reason I’m here,” Dixie started. “Father told us all about the forest and I want to see it for myself. It all sounds so fascinating to me - living in ‘Clans’, sharing prey and territory with other cats, having a leader and medicine cats… and maybe I’ll find a mate while I’m at it!” She purred, eyes bright.

“You should go to WindClan,” Mapleshade said quickly, surprising herself. “They welcomed me and Myler while I was injured. If you’re thinking about joining a Clan, they’re probably most likely to let you stay for a bit.”  _ And somebody like you would give Smallstar a run around the bush, _ Mapleshade added silently. Dixie wasn’t cross, but Mapleshade could sense that she had a stubborn streak.

“I think I will,” Dixie declared, “but not immediately. If it’s alright, I want to stay in the barn for a little while and get to know you and Myler better. I never really had the opportunity to have friends, what with my father’s overprotectiveness and the existence of my three siblings, and you two were both so nice to me…” Dixie trailed off, looking at Mapleshade expectantly.

“We’ll have to ask Myler,” Mapleshade responded vaguely. She didn’t want to agree to anything before consulting the barn cat. Myler had been living in the barn longer than anyone - ultimately, it was his decision. “Come on inside, I’ll find him for you.” She nosed the barn door open and let Dixie enter first.

The floorboards creaked beneath Mapleshade’s paws. “Myler!” she called, assuming that he was still hunting, as she couldn’t see him. “Dixie’s come back to visit!” Mapleshade brushed past Dixie, heading further into the barn. “Myler?”

“‘M here!” Myler shouted, emerging from behind the hay with a mouse in his jaws. He dropped it on the ground. “Fresh-kill makes it hard to talk,” he explained. Myler nodded to Dixie. “Welcome… back?”

“I was wondering if I could stay for a wee while,” Dixie started. “I just came back to visit. Oh, and congratulations. Mapleshade told me that you two became mates.” Dixie dipped her head to Myler and smiled softly.

“Er, thank you.” Myler glanced at Mapleshade. “You can stay for as long as you’d like. You two can eat these.” he stepped back and retrieved another mouse from behind the hay. “I already ate.”

Dixie moved forward and Mapleshade followed her. “Thank you, Myler,” Dixie mewed.

“No worries,” Myler said. “Make yourself at home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I'm sorry this took so long, my other interests as well as IRL stuff have been sapping my writing motivation. I do have a plan for the rest of this story and I intend to finish it, but it will take... a bit. This story isn't going to be _too_ long (I hope).


	18. Chapter 18

Newleaf came and went, and aside from the addition of Dixie to life in the barn, things stayed relatively the same. As soon as the warmer winds came, prey ran well enough to feed all of them as much as kittypets, and with full bellies came content hearts. To Mapleshade’s dismay, however, apart from a few sightings of the silver tabby on the moor, Icefall did not come to the barn. Though, it wasn’t the end of the world, because Mapleshade did manage to catch the young warrior for a chat a few times.

The most significant time followed thusly: Mapleshade was strolling along the border with Dixie, the wind at their backs, chatting lightly about menial topics. It was then that the rustling of heather on the moor caught her attention and Mapleshade stopped, narrowing her amber eyes at the heather patch. She could see cats on a nearby rise - a dark ginger cat and a brown tabby - but none in the immediate vicinity.

Mapleshade nudged Dixie with her tail and flicked her tail-tip towards the heather. Dixie nodded and took a step back, inclining her head to the tortoiseshell. Mapleshade curled her lips and let a low growl rise in her throat as she dropped down into a crouch.

“Come out of there, whatever you are!” Mapleshade snarled, moving protectively in front of Dixie. “Or else I’ll shred you!” she added, flattening her ears against her skull.

Then a slender silver tabby burst out of the heather and barrelled into Mapleshade’s chest, taking her completely by surprise. Initially, Mapleshade thought that the cat was attacking her before she realized the familiar scent and the friendly gesture of this cat touching noses with her.

“Mother!” Icefall cried, tucking her muzzle underneath Mapleshade’s chin and purring loudly.

When Mapleshade looked over at Dixie, it seemed they were having the same thought.  _ Mother? _ Nobody had called Mapleshade ‘mother’ in seasons.

“Is this your…” Dixie prompted, hesitating as she looked intently at the WindClan warrior, “...daughter?”

“Oh, no,” Icefall replied before Mapleshade could say anything. “I have two moms and none of us are actually related. Well, um, one mom and Maple if she  _ wants _ me to call her mother, I mean- I shouldn’t have- sorry, Maple.” Icefall looked sheepish.

“You can call me mother if you want,” Mapleshade mewed slowly, taken aback by the whole situation. “I don’t mind.” It stung a bit, of course, being called mother so long after losing her real kits, but it made her heart swell as well.

“Okay, great!” Icefall grinned brightly and purred against Mapleshade’s chest again. She then seemed to realize that Dixie was there as well and blinked. “Who’s this?” she asked, looking over at Dixie.

“I’m Dixie,” the light ginger cat said. “I’m staying with Mapleshade and Myler for a wee while.”

“I’m Icefall,” Icefall replied. “I’m a WindClan warrior!”

Dixie’s eyes lit up. “Oh!” Dixie exclaimed. “That’s very good to know. I came around because I was interested in learning more about the Clans.”

“What are you doing over here, hiding in the heather, Icefall?” Mapleshade put in, tilting her head to the side.

Icefall giggled nervously and stepped back. “Er… well, Cypresspaw is doing her warrior assessment today,” she explained. “I wanted- I wanted to see how she was doing.” Icefall glanced over to where Mapleshade had noticed two cats earlier.

Dixie seemed to catch on. “Mhm… and why do you have a personal interest in Cypresspaw’s warrior assessment?” she mewed teasingly.

Icefall’s cheeks burned red. “She’s just my friend!” Icefall rebuked, flattening her ears down. “She- she was a medicine cat apprentice but just decided to switch and so I’ve been helping with her warrior training…”

Dixie laughed. “Just teasing, Icefall.” She grinned good-naturedly. “Go keep an eye on your friend and make sure she’s doing alright.”

“Will do, Dixie! Nice to meet you.” Icefall nodded to Dixie. “I’ll see you around, Maplemom!” And with that, the silver tabby disappeared back into the heather.

Mapleshade and Dixie stood in silence for a few moments, before Dixie started to giggle and repeated,  _ “Maplemom.” _

“Shut up,” Mapleshade growled with mock anger. “It’s not funny, Dixie.”

“It’s  _ very _ funny, Mapleshade - frankly, I think it’s adorable.” Dixie grinned and flicked Mapleshade’s shoulder with her tail.

* * *

Mapleshade flipped onto her back, looking up at where Myler was hanging out in the rafters. “Nice view from up there?” she questioned, swiping her fluffy tail across the ground and disturbing the hay.

Myler yawned. “Nice enough,” he answered vaguely and set his head down on his paws, folded on the beam in front of him. “The breeze is better up here. Seasons changed quickly this time around - not used to it being warm.”

Mapleshade scoffed. “Tell me about it! At least you have thinner fur than I do - I basically walk around with a leaf-bare pelt during every season!” She laughed.

Myler snickered. “Sucks to be you, huh? Maybe you should try coming up here as well,” he mewed teasingly, flicking his tail back and forth over the beam. “Unless you’re too scared…”

Mapleshade jumped to her paws. “You mangy piece of crow-food! I climb up there all the time to get on the roof!” she exclaimed, darting over to the ladder up into the loft and leaping up the rungs. “I’ll show you who’s  _ scared, _ mouse-heart.”

The black-and-white tom threw back his head and laughed. “That’s the spirit, Mapleshade!” he called. “Get on up here, love. There’s plenty of room.”

Mapleshade bunched up her muscles and sprung up into the rafters, unsheathing her claws to get a better grip on the inclined wood. She launched herself from one beam to another, surely making her way over towards where Myler was sitting, a distant memory of doing the same in trees bubbling to the forefront of her mind. But she’d been climbing around in the rafters for seasons, and so she found it easy to push away the memories.

“There you go,” Myler commented as Mapleshade scrambled onto the same beam as him. “Told you it would be easy.”

“You didn’t tell me that,” Mapleshade objected, shaking out her thick tortoiseshell fur. “You teased me for being scared, mouse-brain.”

“I did that too,” Myler replied with a shrug. “I tease you out of  _ love, _ my dear.” He smiled, shifting over to lean against her shoulder. “How are things?”

Mapleshade blinked. “Things are good. Why do you ask?”

“Just trying to start a conversation, honey,” Myler said reassuringly. “Dixie’s not bothering you?”

“Why would Dixie be bothering me?” Mapleshade shot back, defensive.

“I will stop asking questions now,” Myler responded, his tone slightly playful. “You’re in a mood, Mapleshade.”

“I’m not in a mood!” Mapleshade objected. “I’m just- hot,” she grumbled, looking down at her paws. She twitched her fluffy tail back and forth, trying to figure out what to say next.

“Is there something on your mind?” Myler asked curiously, tilting his head to the side.

“You said you were going to stop asking questions,” Mapleshade muttered. “And no, I don’t think so. If I’m in a mood it’s not for any particular reason.”

“Okay,” Myler mewed. He didn’t try to talk any more, just tucked his muzzle against Mapleshade’s cheek and closed his eyes.

After a few long moments, Mapleshade took a deep breath and blurted, “Icefall called me mother.”

Myler stilled against her chest. “She did? When?” he asked quietly.

“Week ago or so?” Mapleshade’s brow furrowed as she tried to remember. “She called me mother. And you know what, Myler?” Mapleshade hurried on before Myler could answer.  _ “I didn’t mind. _ Don’t mind. I don’t mind. I didn’t mind then, and I don’t mind now.” Something wet dripped down onto Mapleshade’s paw and she realized that she was crying.

“Mapleshade…” Myler said slowly. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she sniffled. “Better than fine. I just… oh, Myler, I never thought I would see the day.” Mapleshade pulled Myler closer with her tail and wept.

* * *

The three cats were gathered together in the centre of the barn, chowing down on fresh-kill. The atmosphere was pleasant, and they exchanged a few quiet remarks throughout the meal. Finally, after she finished her mouse, Mapleshade sat up and turned to Dixie.

“How’s your family doing?” she asked curiously, with a glance over at Myler. Myler inclined his head slightly as if to say that he didn’t mind the conversation topic.

Dixie swallowed her last bite of fresh-kill and answered, “They’re doing alright.” She paused. “Pounce and Cloudblaze understood when I said that I wanted to leave and wished me well on my journey. Flicker is a pain in the tail, as always, and didn’t really care that I was going. Winnie was… well, she was devastated.” Dixie shook her head, tabby stripes rippling over her neck. “I feel bad for her, but Pounce has her back. She’ll probably find a nice kittypet and settle down soon.”

“That’s good, then,” Mapleshade commented. “Where does your family live, by the way?”

“On the other side of Highstones, past the barren land and the moor, there’s a pine forest where plenty of cats live, though not in Clans like here. It’s every group for themselves, especially when the Twolegs come to stay in greenleaf with their nests on their monsters’ backs,” Dixie explained. “That’s where my family lives.”

“The Twolegs bring nests using monsters?” Mapleshade repeated, mouth agape. She had never heard of such a thing.

“And take them away again during leaf-fall.” Dixie nodded. “They’re not like the Twoleg nests you’re thinking of, though. Much smaller. I don’t know why they come - I know the Twolegplace that they come from, because I’ve been there a few times, and the kittypets seem equally as confused as the cats from the forest.”

Myler shrugged. “Maybe they just want a change of scenery,” he put in. “Twolegs are strange. I kind of understand the ones that live in the farmhouse, but other than that…” He shook his head. “Super confusing.”

“Change of pace?” Mapleshade suggested. “Twolegplace always seems so busy and overwhelming… maybe some Twolegs get sick of it as well.” She swept away the bones of her fresh-kill with her tail and then reached around to smooth down the fluffy fur on the back of her neck with her tongue.

“Well, whatever the reason, they leave enough scraps around during greenleaf to feed us as if we were kittypets, and then we hunt for our own food during leaf-bare,” Dixie went on. “I’ve lived there my whole life, but I know it wasn’t really the place for me. Just like how my sister Winnie wants to move into the nearby Twolegplace.” A small, sad smile rose to Dixie’s face. “Speaking of which… would you two accompany me to WindClan sometime in the next few days? You’re much friendlier with them than I am and so I’m less likely to be shredded if I go with you.”

“So soon?” Mapleshade asked, slightly crestfallen. She enjoyed having Dixie around the barn. She had to admit that she missed it just being her and Myler, of course, but the extra company was pleasant. It was helpful for Mapleshade to have another she-cat around that she could talk to and a friend that she wasn’t romantically interested in.

“Well, it depends on whether or not WindClan wants to take me in,” Dixie reassured her. “It won’t be an immediate switch, I’m sure. And we won’t know any of this for sure until we ask - might as well go for it as soon as possible. Besides, Mapleshade… I’ve been here for a half-moon.”

Mapleshade sighed. “That’s true. Myler, do you…”

“We can take you over,” Myler put in with a nod. “I don’t have a problem with it.”

“If it’s really what you want, then neither do I,” Mapleshade added, looking back at Dixie. “We… I’ll miss you, though.”

Dixie stepped forward to rub her cheek against Mapleshade’s muzzle. “I’ll miss you too,” she murmured, “but I won’t be far, and I’m not gone yet, Mapleshade.”

“We can make your last few days here the best ones yet,” Myler declared. “Maybe we could even have a barn party!”

“A barn party?” Mapleshade and Dixie questioned at the same time, then they looked at each other. Dixie giggled.

Myler’s face lit up. “I forgot that you’ve never been to a barn party, Mapleshade!” He grinned and sprinted over to the side of the barn, charging out the doors with fervour. “I’ll explain later! I have to go to Twolegplace!”

“Twolegplace?” Mapleshade repeated, glancing over at Dixie. Dixie shrugged, looking just as confused as Mapleshade. “Why is he going to Twolegplace?”

Dixie snorted. “I have no idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, readers! Been a while, huh? Sorry about that... got a bit hyperfixated on some other stuff but my Warriors brainwave is back now and this story is going full steam ahead! This chapter is not the most exciting, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. If you feel so inclined, please leave a comment telling me what you think! I appreciate all my readers, but comments really help with the ol' motivation :D


	19. Chapter 19

Myler didn’t return to the barn until late that evening, when Mapleshade was already curled up in their nest, attempting to sleep, and Dixie was already snoring a few piles of hay away. He lightly stepped into their nest, trying not to disturb her, but she was not yet asleep and so appreciated his efforts but didn’t think they had much of a point.

Mapleshade yawned, looking over at her mate. “What’s a barn party?” she asked, lazily blinking her eyes as she tried to stay awake.

“A party hosted in a barn,” Myler answered simply, getting cut off by a yawn of his own.

“What’s a  _ party?” _ Mapleshade questioned, flicking her ears as she tilted her head in a gesture of confusion.

Myler gaped at her for a moment. “You didn’t have parties in ThunderClan?” he asked slowly, blue eyes wide.

“...no?” Mapleshade mewed tentatively.

Myler curled up next to Mapleshade, looking stunned. “Like… a celebration? A festival? You didn’t celebrate  _ anything?” _ Myler inquired.

“I mean… we had… ceremonies?” Mapleshade replied weakly. “The life of a Clan is busy, we didn’t have time for any sort of… fooling around.”

“It’s not fooling around,” Myler huffed. “It’s a way to let loose and have some fun. You can’t just be serious all the time, then nothing will ever go your way. You need balance!” Myler looked indignant.

“Fine, fine,” Mapleshade sighed. “But I…” she trailed off, distracted by fresh scents drifting through the barn door. “Do you smell that?”

“WindClan,” Myler identified. “And it’s not just Icefall.” The black-and-white tom stifled a yawn as he stood up again. “Something’s going on. Come on.”

Mapleshade’s tired muscles groaned in protest, but she followed Myler down the hay bales and to the door. The scents grew stronger as they approached, and when Myler pushed open the barn door, there was a whole patrol of cats hovering a few tail-lengths away, talking in hushed voices. One was Icefall, as always, but in the group was also Rainspark, Midgepelt, and two somewhat unfamiliar cats whose names Mapleshade thought were Stormblaze and Hootjaw.

“Can we help you?” Myler asked dryly, sounding beaten and worn. Mapleshade concurred--she didn’t want to be dealing with Clan cats at this time of the night.

Icefall opened her mouth as if to speak, but Rainspark stepped forward first. “We need your help,” he mewed gruffly. Midgepelt snorted indignantly from behind him, and Rainspark turned to hiss at the brown warrior. “There’s a gang of rogues in Carrionplace. They’re fast and strong and have been attacking our hunting patrols and taking our fresh-kill. We want to launch an attack on them, but the problem is… well, Carrionplace is only a temporary base. Every time we attack, they bring more cats from Twolegplace. We want to find their home and strike at the heart. But none of us know Twolegplace.” Rainspark tilted his head, letting the barn cats fill in the rest.

“You want us to help you find these rogues and teach them a lesson?” Myler questioned, glancing at Mapleshade. Rainspark nodded.

Mapleshade cleared her throat. “I’ve been in Twolegplace before,” she said. “Not many times, but enough.” She could feel Myler’s surprise--he didn’t know that Oakstar had launched many ThunderClan raids on the kittypets, rogues, and loners living on their border. She’d hated those raids, but this was different. WindClan was being threatened, so much so that they needed to ask barn cats to aid them. “I’ll help you.”

“I was, er- I was just there, actually,” Myler admitted sheepishly. “Ran into a bit of trouble, too, though I didn’t mention it because I didn’t want Maple to worry.” He lay his tail over Mapleshade’s back, but that didn’t stop Mapleshade from glaring at him. “If Maple wants to help, then I will help too.”

“Will you come back to camp with us?” Rainspark asked.

“Right now?” Mapleshade shot back.

“We can escort you back and then you’ll be able to help us prepare in the morning,” Rainspark said. “We want to launch our attack as soon as possible.”

Myler and Mapleshade exchanged a look. “We can’t just leave Dixie,” Myler mewed. Then he turned back to Rainspark and explained, “Our friend is visiting for a while--can we bring her with us or at least tell her where we’re going?”

“Does she know Twolegplace?” Rainspark asked, sounding thoughtful.

“We can’t bring back  _ another _ loner,” Midgepelt groaned.

Again, Rainspark shushed him. “If she wants to come, bring her. I'll take as many paws as I can get.”

“I’ll get her,” Mapleshade mewed. She didn’t wait for a response from the other cats before turning and dashing into the barn, her paws sliding on the hay in her hurry. “Dixie!” she called.  _ This is what Dixie wants! _ Mapleshade thought excitedly.  _ She wants us to take her to WindClan! This is perfect! Well, other than the vicious rogues attacking our friends… but still, she’s going to be thrilled! _

“Wha…” Dixie mumbled as Mapleshade practically barrelled into her nest. “I’m up, I’m up, I’ll hunt with you in a minute, Winnie-”

“It’s me.” Mapleshade stuck her muzzle in Dixie’s face. “Maple, remember? WindClan is here. They want our help. Dixie, we’re going to WindClan!” It took a moment for the drowsy ginger cat to register what Mapleshade was saying, but once she did…

“WindClan?!” Dixie yelped, flailing her paws wildly as she scrambled to her feet. Her amber eyes were wide and excited. “WindClan cats? Here? Right now? Not just Icefall?”

“A whole patrol--including Icefall,” Mapleshade explained. “They need our help. So, are you coming or not?”

“I’m coming!” Dixie shook out her fur and bounded down the hay, her enthusiasm making Mapleshade giggle. “Let’s go to WindClan!”

“You just woke up; how do you have so much energy?!” Mapleshade laughed, racing after Dixie. Just as she caught up with the ginger molly, Dixie slipped out through the door and came face-to-face with the WindClan patrol.

Mapleshade felt bad for giggling, but the expression on Dixie’s face was hilarious. She was a combination of stunned, embarrassed, and giddy. Dixie shifted awkwardly in front of the WindClan cats as they stared at her. “Um… hi, I’m Dixie.”

There was a moment’s pause, then Rainspark mewed gruffly, “Rainspark. WindClan’s deputy. This is Icefall, Midgepelt, Stormblaze, and Hootjaw. All warriors.” Mapleshade let out a relieved exhale; Rainspark had a hard exterior, but he wasn’t entirely unfriendly.

“Nice to meet you,” Dixie purred, taking a step towards the dark grey tom.

Rainspark shifted awkwardly, coughing to clear his throat. “Right. We’re taking all three of you back to camp now, then. Dixie, you’ve never been to our camp before, but if Myler and Maple can vouch for you, Smallstar shouldn’t have a problem with it.”

“I won’t cause any problems,” Dixie promised, looking as if she were trying to contain a grin.

Rainspark and Dixie stared at each other for a long moment, before Midgepelt interrupted loudly, “Can we get going? I hate hanging around outside our borders.”

“Yes, let’s go before it’s too late,” Rainspark mewed. “Stay close. I don’t think the rogues would attack a group this big, but we’ve been surprised before.” And with that, the grey tom turned and started to lead the group down the rise toward the moor.

The journey to camp was mostly silent, with the WindClan cats racing ahead and the barn cats struggling to keep up the pace. They soon came across the WindClan camp, a sheltered hollow among the heather and rolling hills. Despite the late hour, the camp was full of cats. And many of them were frantic.

“What’s going on?” Dixie asked quietly.

“There was a raid. That’s why we arrived so late.” Rainspark said, dipping his head. “I wanted to stay and help, but Smallstar insisted…” He trailed off, seeming hesitant.

A grief-stricken howl echoed around the hills, startling Mapleshade.  _ “Squirreltail!” _

Rainspark’s gaze snapped over to Stormblaze, whose expression fell quickly. “My brother…” Stormblaze breathed.

The group of cats dove into the hollow in unison, Stormblaze and Rainspark at the head. By the side of the clearing was a horrific scene--a bushy-tailed brown tom laying in a pool of blood, eyes staring sightlessly at the night sky. Larkwing was hunched over the body, herbs laying useless by her side, and other cats were slowly gathering around. As Mapleshade looked, she saw the fresh wounds of battle on many of the cats around the clearing, ranging from slashes and some strained muscles to one warrior with a chunk missing out of her flank and a tom with an ear that was torn to bloody shreds. She suddenly understood why WindClan was so desperate.

Stormblaze raced over to his brother, a desperate cry escaping his jaws. The rest of the patrol hovered nearby, in various states of shock and terror. Smallstar ran over from the other side of the clearing, pressed her nose to Larkwing’s shoulder briefly, and then seemed to realize that the patrol had returned and came to them.

“You came back at a bad time,” Smallstar commented in a low voice. “I have to attend to this. Sorry.” She added the apology as an afterthought.

“No, we understand,” Dixie replied quietly. “Sorry for your loss.”

Smallstar continued to stand there for a few more moments, looking torn between her usual disgruntled demeanour and welcoming the barn cats in. “Thanks,” she settled on, before going back to Larkwing and Squirreltail’s body.

“You can stay in the elders’ den for now, I suppose,” Rainspark murmured, sounding distracted.  _ And rightfully so. _ “Icefall, will you…”

“Yes, Rainspark.” Icefall cast a forlorn look towards Squirreltail. “It’s over here.” She flicked her tail towards one of the dens dug into the side of the hollow.

But before they could move, Smallstar leapt onto the giant boulder in the centre of the clearing and let out a caterwaul to draw the attention of the Clan. “WindClan!” she yowled. “These rogues have taken too much from us! First our prey, now one of our warriors. We will not stand for it!”

The gathered cats yowled back enthusiastically.

“Tonight, we will sit vigil for our fallen Clanmate. But tomorrow, these loners have agreed to help us find these rogues’ home and attack them at the source. And we shall do it with new warriors!” Smallstar declared. Mapleshade was momentarily confused, but then Smallstar called out, “Crouchpaw and Ravenpaw, you will receive your warrior names tonight!”

“They haven’t had an assessment!” a brown tom objected, standing up.

“They’re overdue for one,” Smallstar shot back. “We need more warriors for battle. They’re ready to fight.” Before anybody else could object, she called again, “Crouchpaw and Ravenpaw!”

Two dark grey toms came forward, one with dark tabby stripes and the other with white paws. They were both big and strong, and about the size of a warrior. The fur on Icefall’s shoulders bristled and Mapleshade looked over at her--these were the denmates that had antagonized her.

“I, Smallstar, leader of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn,” Smallstar mewed, the ancient words flowing seamlessly from her maw. “Crouchpaw and Ravenpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your lives?”

“I do,” the white-pawed tom answered first.

There was a beat, then… “I do,” the other added.

“Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names.” Smallstar looked first to the apprentice with white paws. “Crouchpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Crouchfire.” Then she looked to the dark tabby. “Ravenpaw, you shall be known as Ravenhowl. StarClan honours you both, and we welcome you as full warriors of WindClan.”

The Clan erupted into cheering. “Crouchfire! Ravenhowl!”

Crouchfire and Ravenhowl looked at each other, then both cracked wide grins. They’d been waiting a long time for this day, but…

Icefall pressed into Mapleshade’s side. “We’ll be sharing a den again,” she murmured, barely audible.

Mapleshade licked her adopted daughter’s ears. “You’re a warrior now. They can’t push you around,” she reassured her. “And if they do, I’ll shred them myself.”

They were interrupted by Smallstar quieting the Clan. “Crouchfire and Ravenhowl, you will sit your warrior vigil as the rest of the Clan sits vigil for Squirreltail. Despite the fact that there will be two vigils, you are prohibited from speaking until the moment your vigil ends.”

Crouchfire and Ravenhowl nodded in unison.

“Now, let’s give our Clanmate the burial he deserves.” And with that, Smallstar jumped down from the Tallrock.

* * *

“You don’t have to sit vigil, Maple,” a low voice said, breaking through Mapleshade’s melancholic thoughts. She turned to see Rainspark sitting beside her, his blue eyes dark with grief. “You’re not part of WindClan. You have no loyalty to Squirreltail.”

“WindClan has been kind to us,” Mapleshade replied. She turned back to where the cats were cleaning the blood from Squirreltail’s brown pelt. “I will sit a while.”

Rainspark’s gaze lingered on her, then he followed her eyes to the burial. “He was a few moons younger than me,” he started quietly. “Always nervous and skittish. The other cats joked that he had been aptly named. Once, while he was an apprentice, he got fed up with the teasing and nearly left WindClan for ThunderClan. Stormpaw--Stormblaze--and I found him on the border, leg caught in some roots. We rescued him, and even though Stormpaw desperately wanted his brother to stay, we volunteered to escort him the rest of the way to ThunderClan. He changed his mind, then, seeing that the kinship he had in WindClan could not be replicated. I, already a warrior, volunteered to give them both extra fighting lessons, and the next time somebody made fun of Squirrelpaw…” Rainspark hummed, a small smile crossing his muzzle. “Well, let’s just say that Midgepelt’s ear is still missing its tip.” He laughed nervously. “Uh, I mean, you didn’t ask, but-”

“You remember a lot,” Mapleshade commented thoughtfully. “Is that why you’re always so quiet? You’re observing other cats?”

Rainspark shrugged sheepishly. “More like the other way around,” he admitted. “I don’t really like…” he hesitated, “...big groups.”

Mapleshade hummed. “You should go sit with your Clanmates,” she mewed.

Rainspark sighed and stood up. “Goodnight, Maple.”

“Goodnight, Rainspark.”

Once he had gone, Mapleshade remained where she was for a short while longer, watching the mournful WindClan cats seat themselves beside their fallen Clanmate. It felt as if she’d seen this sight hundreds of times, but among the oaks instead of the heather. It made this one feel special, even though she did not know the dead cat.

The moon had just risen above the nearby forest when Mapleshade finally went to the elders’ den, where Myler was already snoring and Dixie was chatting soberly with a light grey she-cat. Mapleshade looked around awkwardly. Even when she’d last stayed in WindClan for a time, she’d been staying in the medicine den, where only Larkwing slept--this would be her first time sleeping among a group of Clan cats since leaving ThunderClan.

“This is Lilynose,” Dixie mewed as Mapleshade entered the den. “That’s Mothfoot,” she nodded to a grey she-cat with dark paws, “Whiteriver,” she nodded to a silver tabby tom, “and Pokefur.” The last elder was a white she-cat curled up in a nearby nest, already sleeping as well. “Pokefur is deaf, so don’t worry about disturbing her.”

“What about Myler?” Mapleshade joked, stepping over her mate to get to an empty nest. She didn’t want to wake him up by trying to squeeze in with him.

“Oh, you can disturb him if you want,” Dixie replied. “I don’t think he’d mind.”

“That’s not what I meant but you’re right,” Mapleshade mewed. “Er… nice to meet you all.”

“Poor Squirreltail,” said Lilynose, closing her eyes. “He was so young.”

“That nest isn’t taken,” Dixie answered before Mapleshade could ask, flicking her tail to the nest that Mapleshade was standing next to.

“Thanks.” Mapleshade sat down in it, fur fluffing out over her paws. “It’s been a long day.”

“It would be shorter if you would all be quiet and go to sleep,” Whiteriver grumbled loudly.

“Who made dirt in your fresh-kill?” Mothfoot snapped, her mew a low hiss. “Let the young’uns speak.”

“No, he’s right,” Dixie mewed, yawning. “I’m exhausted. And we have a battle to prepare for tomorrow.”

Mapleshade yawned so forcefully that her eyes started to water. She set her head down on her paws, eyelids starting to droop. “Thank you for sharing your den with us,” she mumbled to the elders.

“You’re welcome,” Lilynose replied.

Whiteriver snorted, and Mothfoot hissed at him again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, haven't updated this fic in a while, sorry! Been juggling a lot of things recently, but I got a bunch of new Warriors books for Christmas and rereading Ravenpaw's Path finally gave me the motivation to push through and finish this chapter. Hopefully, the next one won't be left as long now that I know where I'm going again!


	20. Chapter 20

At the crack of dawn, Smallstar called WindClan together for a meeting with a yowl from atop the Tallrock. Mapleshade, Myler, and Dixie slunk out of the elders’ den, ignoring an annoyed Whiteriver complaining about being woken so early, and joined the ranks of eager WindClan cats waiting for their leader to speak. Mapleshade yawned and Myler curled his tail over her back, to which she smiled gently at him. None of them had gotten enough sleep, but Mapleshade was itching to fight. She hadn’t gotten her claws dirty in what felt like seasons--hunting prey and fighting off dogs and foxes and badgers was great and all, but there was something she missed about defending one’s territory from enemy cats.

“Warriors of WindClan!” Smallstar shouted, puffing out her white chest. She was such a small cat, as her name implied, but at this moment, with the sun rising behind her and her stance on the Tallrock, she looked as tall and as fearsome as any great warrior. “Today we will finally rid ourselves of the rogues plaguing our borders and stealing our prey!” She paused for a moment as the cats yowled their support.

“We will strike on Carrionplace today!” she continued, her voice echoing around the hollow. “Then we will hunt the rogues into Twolegplace and teach them a lesson once and for all!” Smallstar bared her teeth and unsheathed her claws. “WindClan!”

“WindClan! WindClan!” the gathered cats cheered, their voices raised in excited caterwauling. Mapleshade joined in along with her friends, recognizing that for this day and this day only… they were part of WindClan.

Smallstar started naming cats that would be joining the battle patrol. “Swiftflight, Stormblaze, Icefall,” she listed. “Acornheart, Ravenhowl, Gorsestripe,” Mapleshade’s ears perked up, “Cloudwhisker, Robinfire, Tumbleflower.” Smallstar paused and sighed. It was obvious that she didn’t like asking for help from outsiders. “And of course, Maple, Myler, and Dixie will be guiding us through Twolegplace and helping with the battle. I will be leading the attack myself--Rainspark, you will be in charge of the camp while we are gone.” She nodded to her deputy, who inclined his head stoically.

“What about the apprentices?” called Tailpaw, a young cat with a bent tail that Mapleshade remembered being apprenticed to Tumbleflower after Icefall’s warrior ceremony. “We want to fight!” His brother Lionpaw, Swiftflight’s apprentice, and Cypresspaw, who was standing nearby, both nodded in support. “Our mentors are going--why can’t we?”

Smallstar looked at the three apprentices for a moment. “You two are too young,” she said, referring to Tailpaw and Lionpaw, “but Cypresspaw may come.” She flicked her tail to the brown tabby and Cypresspaw got up, her eyes shining. Mapleshade watched as Tailpaw and Lionpaw looked at each other dejectedly--she knew how they felt, but they’d get to fight in another battle eventually.

Smallstar leapt down from the Tallrock and the battle patrol quickly assembled around her--Icefall, Acornheart, Cypresspaw, and Tumbleflower all came up to stand with the barn cats, while Swiftflight, Stormblaze, Ravenhowl, Gorsestripe, Cloudwhisker, and Robinfire leaned more towards Smallstar. Fourteen cats, Mapleshade noted--surely they would be able to drive away the rogues with this force.

Other cats came to send off their Clanmates, and Mapleshade stood around awkwardly with Myler and Dixie as all the WindClan cats wished each other luck. Then Larkwing stepped up to the barn cats and mewed, “Be safe.”

“Larkwing,” Mapleshade greeted, dipping her head to the medicine cat. “Thank you. The odds are in our favour, I think. Some mangy rogues can’t stand up to a whole battle patrol.”

“I envy your confidence,” Larkwing replied softly, her dark grey-green eyes darting around nervously. “These rogues are vicious--I have treated the wounds from their claws and teeth. Don’t underestimate them, Maple.” She glanced at Smallstar, then back at Mapleshade. “I wish she wasn’t leading this patrol.”

“A leader that hides behind other cats when it matters is not a true leader--she has nine lives for a reason, she should be at the head of every battle patrol,” Mapleshade said. “Her Clanmates need her strength.”

“You’re right,” Larkwing admitted with a sigh. “She still has many lives left to lose. I shouldn’t worry about her so much. She is my leader, after all…” Larkwing hesitated, then added under her breath so that only Mapleshade could hear, “...nothing more.”

Mapleshade wished she knew what else to say to reassure Larkwing, but she didn’t, so she simply said, “We’ll be back soon.”

“May StarClan be with you,” Larkwing mewed. “Even if you are not Clan cats, today you are warriors of WindClan.” She nodded to Myler and Dixie. “But don’t let Smallstar hear that!” she joked, and Mapleshade snorted in amusement.

They exchanged a quick nod, and then Smallstar called together the battle patrol. “WindClan!” she yowled. “Er, and loners. Let’s go!” And then she charged out of the WindClan camp, with the battle patrol on her tail.

* * *

“This place stinks of ShadowClan,” Icefall complained, sticking her tongue out. They’d just crossed over the second Thunderpath to the Carrionplace and were all gathered in the bushes around the fence. “I hate it.”

“Quiet!” Smallstar hissed, stalking forward a few paces. “I’ll go first. Wait for my signal.” The white she-cat ran forward and jumped up onto the fence. She paused for a moment, then quickly and deliberately flicked her tail to the warriors, before leaping down onto the other side of the fence.

The battle patrol raced after her, with the WindClan warriors going first and then Mapleshade, Myler, and Dixie bringing up the rear. Mapleshade’s claws scratched on the fence and she landed heavily on the ground, cringing at the smell of Twoleg trash and dirty rogues.

“Intruders!” came a cry from atop one of the trash heaps. “It’s those Clan cats!” At first glance, the rest of the Carrionplace seemed deserted, but then Mapleshade saw them--rogues of all shapes and sizes, lurking in the shadows of the Twoleg junk.

“WindClan, attack!” Smallstar yowled, and the Carrionplace exploded into battle.

Mapleshade let out a loud screech and leapt onto a skinny brown rogue, pinning her to the ground with one paw and scoring an easy slash across her muzzle with the other. The rogue fought, attempting to kick Mapleshade in the stomach with her leg, but Mapleshade dug her claws in deep until she screamed. Then Mapleshade let her go and the rogue fled over the fence.

A heavy blow hit Mapleshade in the back of her head, knocking her to the ground. She rolled over onto her back then up onto her paws again, dodging a fierce downward slash from the strong white tom that was attacking her. She bared her teeth and growled, puffing up her fur in an attempt to seem bigger and waiting for the rogue to make the next move.

He did, rearing up on his back paws and trying to fall on her, but she was faster than he expected and jumped up, sinking her teeth into his chest. It barely hurt him because of his thick pelt, but it knocked him off-balance, and both Mapleshade and the white rogue went tumbling to the ground. Stunned, the white rogue didn’t get up for a moment, and by that point, Mapleshade was already looming over him. She sank her teeth into his neck, careful to not deliver a killing blow, and when he screeched in pain she let him go, watching him run away in another direction.

_“Maple!”_ screamed Dixie from somewhere behind her, and the tortoiseshell whirled around. Dixie was caught between two slender black rogues and a trash heap, and she was bleeding from multiple scratches. In unison, both rogues turned to look at Mapleshade, whose paws were already moving to help Dixie before she could fully consider her actions.

Mapleshade barrelled into the first rogue, slamming her back into a particularly hard piece of junk with her shoulder, leaving the black she-cat reeling. Then Mapleshade turned on the other, unsheathing her claws again and hissing aggressively as she stepped between the second black she-cat and Dixie. The black rogue lunged and Mapleshade ducked, then came up with a fierce uppercut to the black rogue’s chin. Behind her, Mapleshade could hear the other rogue getting up again and turned to see, but Dixie was already sinking her teeth into the black molly’s shoulder. Both rogues seemed to realize that they were outmatched and escaped from Mapleshade and Dixie as quickly as they could, tails between their legs.

“Are you okay?” Mapleshade mewed, stepping over to examine Dixie’s wounds. “These scratches don’t look too bad…”

Dixie nodded. “You came just in time--I thought they were going to shred me!” she exclaimed. “Thanks, Maple.” Dixie purred and gave an affectionate lick to Mapleshade’s shoulder.

“Of course. These rogues aren’t very well-trained--just show them your claws and get a few good blows in, and they’ll leave you alone,” Mapleshade said. With startling clarity, she suddenly realized that she was beginning to think of Dixie like family. “Have you seen Myler?”

Dixie flicked her tail. “Over there.”

At first, Mapleshade didn’t see where Dixie was pointing. Then she realized it was one of the massive mounds of garbage, with a brown-and-white tom on top and fighting back multiple cats--Myler was one, and Icefall and Robinfire were the others. The rogue looked as if he were pinned down--he was holding his own, but eventually, the warriors would get to him. Satisfied that Myler didn’t need help, she turned back to Dixie. “Do you want me to stay with you?” she asked.

Dixie shook her head. “No, I’m okay. I’ll keep close, though,” she assured Mapleshade. “Go shred some more rogues for us!”

Mapleshade turned and threw herself into the thick of the fight, exchanging slashes and blows with the rogues, and soon she found herself fighting between Smallstar and Swiftflight. Rogues circled them--though from their injuries, these rogues had already been half-beaten by other WindClan cats--and the three fell into a defensive stance.

“What’s the plan?” Swiftflight asked, looking at Smallstar.

Smallstar dropped into a crouch and growled, “Fight.” Then she sprung forwards, tackling a brown tabby to the ground and digging her claws in deep.

The other cats pounced and Mapleshade dove out of the way, before rounding on a tortoiseshell and grabbing his tail between her teeth. He kicked back at her, connecting with her jaw and forcing her to let go, but then Mapleshade reared up as he turned and brought her paws down heavily on his head. He howled in pain but kept fighting, which surprised her, and he slashed a blow across her cheek that stung furiously. She roared at him and knocked him to the ground, and the blood pouring into his eyes must have been too much, because he quickly got up and stumbled away.

Then, without hesitating, Mapleshade ran to aid Smallstar, who was being crushed underneath at least three rogues and screeching her head off. Mapleshade sunk her teeth into the scruff of a skinny white tom, hauled him off of Smallstar, and threw him to the ground, then knocked a black-and-white she-cat over with her shoulder. Smallstar then threw the third off with her back paws and Mapleshade watched, impressed, as the cat was tossed backwards and rolled into a trash heap a few tail-lengths away.

Mapleshade and Smallstar fell back towards each other, standing tail-to-tail and trading blows with the two rogues. The black-and-white she-cat scratched her claws into Mapleshade’s ears and Mapleshade hissed, retaliating with a forceful swipe across her nose. She backed up into Smallstar’s flank, then pounced, and the two she-cats went rolling across the dirt. Mapleshade dug her claws into the rogue’s fur, refusing to let her go, and the rogue’s teeth gnashed in Mapleshade’s face until finally, they came apart and Mapleshade raked her claws across one of the rogue’s eyes.

She turned back to Smallstar as the black-and-white rogue fled, watching the small white cat dispose of the rogue she was fighting. “Is that the last of them?” Mapleshade called--the fighting seemed to have calmed down and the battle patrol was gathering together again. “Have we won?”

“I think so,” Smallstar replied loudly. Her white fur was stained with blood, but Mapleshade couldn’t tell how much was hers and how much was that of the rogues. Smallstar jumped onto one of the trash heaps to address the Clan cats. “We have driven the rogues out of Carrionplace again, but we are not finished! They will keep coming back if we do not hunt them into the heart of their territory. Lick your wounds and make sure the Carrionplace is clear… and be ready for our assault on Twolegplace.” She hopped back down and moved out of the sun to clean blood from her pelt.

Mapleshade’s body stung with scratches, but she hadn’t suffered any bad wounds. As she’d told Dixie, these rogues weren’t very good at fighting. It seemed, as she looked around, that most had had the same experience--though Robinfire was leaning on Myler’s shoulder and limping, so Mapleshade went to where the dark tortoiseshell was standing with her mate.

“Robinfire fell off the trash heap,” Myler told Mapleshade as she approached. “Her leg’s a bit twisted, but I don’t think it’s broken or sprained.”

“Just sore,” Robinfire mewed. “I’ll be fine with some rest.” She sat down and stretched out her leg, wincing. “Thanks, Myler. You fought really well back there.”

Myler nodded to her, then turned to Mapleshade. “Are you alright?” he asked, concern flooding his blue eyes. “I’ve barely been hurt.”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” Mapleshade assured him, looking at her pelt for a moment and realizing that she was covered in blood. “It’s not my blood.” She paused. “I should… I should clean this up. If it dries, it’ll be a lot harder to get out.”

“I can help,” Myler offered, sitting down beside her and starting to drag his tongue through her fur. Mapleshade purred and moved to help him, starting with her white chest fur and then moving on to her paws.

“Maple!” came Icefall’s voice as the silver tabby bounded towards the two barn cats. Cypresspaw was right on Icefall’s tail, and then Tumbleflower trailed behind. All three seemed largely unscathed, though Cypresspaw was limping a bit and Tumbleflower had blood trickling down her ear. “How are you?” she demanded.

Mapleshade flicked her tail. “Okay,” she mewed. “I’m not hurt.” She paused. “Neither is Myler.”

“Good!” Icefall said. “Look at this.” She turned and showed Mapleshade deep bite marks on her shoulder. “Do you think it’ll scar?” She didn’t sound concerned, more… excited. “It barely hurts, don’t worry.”

“I’m no medicine cat,” Mapleshade replied, “but probably.” She gritted her teeth and stood up, ignoring the furious sting on her leg. “I’m ready to go to Twolegplace.”

“You’re shaking,” Myler said, trailing his tail over her shoulders. “Are you sure-”

“Yes,” Mapleshade snapped. Then she added, “Sorry.” Her whiskers twitched. “I’m ready to fight.”

“You should go meet with Smallstar then,” Tumbleflower mewed. “She looks like she’s planning.” The molly nodded to where Smallstar and some of the senior warriors, along with Dixie, were gathered and talking in low voices.

“Let’s _all_ go meet with Smallstar,” Icefall mewed decisively. “Cypresspaw and I have good ideas too!” She grinned at Cypresspaw, who smiled sheepishly. “Isn’t that right, Cypresspaw?”

There was a moment where Cypresspaw simply stared at Icefall’s lean face, and then she stammered, “O-oh, yeah! We have great ideas. Icefall’s, especially, are always awesome ideas.”

Mapleshade cracked a wry smile and mewed, “Guess we’re all going, then. Come along!” She took up the lead, striding towards the small white she-cat and her warriors. She hoped Smallstar would respect her more now that they’d fought side-by-side.

Smallstar looked up as they approached. Her green eyes darted between them and she mewed gruffly, “Join us,” which they did. “We’re discussing the attack on Twolegplace.” She shifted over and Mapleshade took the offered space next to her. Smallstar gestured to a pawful of pebbles. “Imagine that these are our warriors…”

* * *

They made their way around the edge of ShadowClan and ThunderClan with ease and then headed into Twolegplace. The stench of Twolegs and monsters invaded Mapleshade’s nose and made her choke, but she could at least pick out the scent of cats beneath it--the WindClan cats seemed completely in the dark. Myler and Dixie, on the other hand, soon picked up the rogues’ trail and the patrol streamed off in the right direction.

They stayed off the main roads because there were so many of them, following the barn cats as they tracked down the rogues. By sunhigh, they found themselves faced with an abandoned Twoleg nest near the edge of Twolegplace with a couple of strong-looking cats standing guard outside. The patrol stayed on the opposite side of the Thunderpath, gathering themselves together to prepare for a second battle.

“This is it,” Myler mewed confidently to the patrol. “The whole place stinks of those rogues. And I recognize that tom.” He nodded to one of the toms standing guard--Mapleshade recognized him too, as the brown-and-white rogue that Myler, Robinfire, and Icefall had been fighting. “I see a garage door, which must be the main entrance and exit, and I think two windows, one on each side.”

“The windows are open,” Dixie added. Myler nodded.

Smallstar mused over this for a moment. “We’ll split the patrol,” she decided. “A few cats will attack the guards as a distraction, and then the rest will go in through the windows. We’ll flush them out of there like rats.” She paused, looking around at the group. “Ravenhowl, Robinfire, and Stormblaze, you will attack the guards on my signal. The rest of you, follow me.”

They went around the block, leaving Ravenhowl, Robinfire, and Stormblaze behind. Mapleshade noted the three cats Smallstar had chosen and thought it was a good decision--Ravenhowl was a new warrior and so it was good to keep him out of the main battle, while Robinfire was still slightly limping from the first fight, and Stormblaze was likely to accidentally kill a rogue in revenge for Squirreltail’s death. Keeping all of them out front but not directly out of the battle was a smart plan.

From the back, they were able to slip onto the roof of a nearby Twoleg nest, from which they would be able to jump over and attack through the windows. They couldn’t do that, however, until the guards were no longer looking for intruders.

Smallstar gave the signal and the three warriors attacked the guards, then she led the rest of the patrol onto the roof. Mapleshade went to one side with Acornheart, Cypresspaw, Gorsestripe, Myler, and Cloudwhisker, while Smallstar took Swiftflight, Icefall, Tumbleflower, and Dixie to the other side. Mapleshade crawled down through the window and let out a loud caterwaul as she flung herself down into the rogue camp.

It was a flurry of teeth and claws and blood, with Mapleshade reaching out to tear and bite at any rogue she could reach. The Twoleg den was full of screeching cats as the WindClan patrol pushed the rogues towards the entrance. Then, out of nowhere, one of the biggest rogues, a heavy-set grey tom, slammed Mapleshade into the wall, leaving her stunned, and advanced towards her with his claws outstretched. He leapt, teeth bared to sink into her neck, and she was sure her life would be over…

...then Acornheart leapt between her and the rogue, and the rogue’s fangs went deep into his flesh. Acornheart dropped from the rogue’s jaws like a piece of fresh-kill, his dark ginger fur matted with bright red blood, and Mapleshade felt a rush of pure anger. She’d regained her bearings and with it, her fighting spirit, and Mapleshade the warrior hit the grey rogue with everything she had.

She sunk her teeth into his scruff and threw him straight into a rogue attacking Cypresspaw, then both landed a tail-length past that, where Cloudwhisker snarled and chased them out of the Twoleg den.

“Nice!” Cypresspaw called, looking over at Mapleshade with a glow in her eyes. She still had her mouth open to say more, but then she glanced down and noticed the limp body of her mentor at Mapleshade’s paws. “Acornheart!” she screamed, scrabbling over the floor towards the ginger tom’s body.

Mapleshade looked down, her amber eyes dull. “Help me move him,” Cypresspaw begged the tortoiseshell, a pleading look on her face. “Let’s get him out of the way and then I can look at his wounds.” _Once a medicine cat apprentice, always a medicine cat apprentice,_ Mapleshade thought faintly.

As Mapleshade helped Cypresspaw drag Acornheart over to the side, she vaguely remembered a scene like this happening before. Except that time, it had been Mapleshade’s teeth sinking into Appledusk’s neck, and Reedshine who had looked on in horror as a tom saved her life. She hated it. She’d rather suffer the injury herself than watch another cat bear her pain.

Cypresspaw lapped at Acornheart’s neck with her tongue, trying to clean the blood from the wound, but more blood just kept pouring out. Acornheart let out a quiet whimper and Cypresspaw closed her eyes, burying her muzzle in Acornheart’s scruff. Her back heaved and after a few moments, Mapleshade realized that she was crying. “He’s not going to make it,” Cypresspaw sobbed, looking up at Mapleshade with bleary eyes. “There’s nothing here I can use to help him.”

Mapleshade swallowed the lump in her throat and pressed her paws against Acornheart’s wound, temporarily stemming the blood flow. “Go out and look for cobwebs,” she ordered the apprentice. “I’ll keep him alive.” It reminded her too much of what she’d done, but she kept convincing herself that this was different. He had saved her life. She was saving his.

“No…” Acornheart groaned, and both she-cats looked at him in surprise. “No, stay here. It’s… it’s too late.” He cracked a tiny smile. “I couldn’t have asked for a better apprentice, Cypresspaw.”

Cypresspaw buried her face in his fur again. “And I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor,” she mewed softly. “Please don’t go.”

“I’ll watch your warrior ceremony… from StarClan…” Acornheart mumbled. “Make me proud.” His head fell back, and Cypresspaw and Mapleshade stared at him with hollow eyes.

Cypresspaw grabbed his shoulders with her paws. “I will,” she promised vehemently. “I’ll make you proud, Acornheart. I swear it…”

Acornheart breathed out, then in, and did not breathe again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Battles are a good way to get rid of side characters >:3  
> Insert the 'oh my god he f**king dead' vine here  
> I was going to make this chapter longer but then the split would've gotten awkward so I have to cut it here. Sorry!  
> Also, hey, if you're reading this note, I love you <3 this fic's been ongoing for over a year now and I really appreciate all the support!!


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